Medvedev wants Moscow, Seoul to cooperate in modernizing economy
SEOUL. Nov 10 (Interfax) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has said he thinks there is plenty Russia could learn from South Korea in innovations.
"All of the topics discussed at the first Russia-South Korea forum are absolutely relevant. And it is necessary to start to put them into practice as soon as possible," Medvedev said at a business forum in Seoul on Wednesday.
Russia and South Korea should promote both "energy cooperation and work together on modernization processes," the Russian president said.
South Korea "has an excellent record in commercializing scientific discoveries and achievements," Medvedev said.
During the forum, a proposal was made to hold regular meetings of the Russian and South Korean foreign and defense ministers and Seoul received a recommendation to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as an observer and to make broader use of the Northern sea route.
The participants in the forum also said that visa rules between Russia and South Korea should be eased and subsequently canceled.
Russia and South Korea should recognize each other's higher education certificates, and Seoul should help implement the Skolkovo project in Russia, they said.
Exchanges between tourists and public delegations need to be expanded, they said.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, for his part, supported measures to promote people-to-people contacts to enable citizens of Russia and South Korea to get to know each other's life and culture better.
The South Korean leader said he and the Russian president see eye-to-eye on most issues.
Commenting on the upcoming G20 summit, the South Korean president said that "experts from all of the countries will have to work hard tonight to achieve positive results."