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Photo: National Assembly of the Republic of Korea   On December 14th, Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea Moon Hee-sang received an official visit from Ali Abdel Aal Sayed Ahmed, the speaker of the unicameral House of Representatives of Egypt.   The two speakers exchanged opinions for further economic cooperation and interactions between Egypt and Korea.   Speaker Moon Hee-sang said that he is pleased with the two countries’ active high-level interactions taken place this year, including ROK President Moon Jae-in’s bilateral meeting with the Egyptian counterpart on September 26th during the United Nations General Assembly in New York. He added that in order to strengthen bilateral cooperation, interactions between the two parliaments is important.   Speaker Moon praised Egypt, saying that every time he visits the country, he is reminded that the Egyptian civilization was at the heart of the Greek and Roman civilization. Moon then asked for continued support and help ensuring peace on the Korean Peninsula and achieving complete denuclearization.   Speaker Ali Abdel Aal Sayed Ahmed said he “highly values South Korea’s efforts to peacefully resolves issues of the two Koreas”. “As Egypt has a friendly relationship with South Korea and has normalized relations with North Korea, it will continue to actively support for the Koreas’ peace and denuclearization,” he added.   The Egyptian speaker additionally said “the bilateral economic relations continuously grew, but Egypt would like investment from more Korean businesses” and hoped for active exchanges in fields such as energy, technology, education, and tourism.   Speaker Moon replied that “Korea and Egypt have mutually complementary economic structures” and that the two parliaments will help to the best of their abilities for the co-prosperity of Egypt and Korea.   BY MSEAP Cyber Secretariat (mseap@assembly.go.kr)

  On December 12th, Speaker of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the unicameral parliament of Ukraine, Andriy Parubiy met Speaker of the National Assembly Moon Hee-sang on an official visit to Korea.   At the meeting, Speaker Parubiy said this was his first visit in Korea. “I admire the beauty of Korea, its history and modernity,” the Ukrainian speaker added.   Welcoming Speaker Parubiy, ROK Speaker Moon Hee-sang said that Korea and Ukraine have cooperated for mutual interests since establishing diplomatic relations in 1992. Speaker Moon expressed the hope that the two countries can develop together through further cooperation in fields such as space industry and agriculture.   Speaker Moon also mentioned the progress for peace on the Korean Peninsula with the help of the international community. He asked for Ukraine’s support in maintaining such mood.   In response, Speaker Parubiy agreed and hoped that bilateral relations would prosper through more active interactions. The speaker urged Korean businesses to invest in Ukraine. Speaker Parubiy pointed out IT and agriculture as the most promising sectors for the bilateral cooperation.   During the Wednesday’s meeting, Speaker Moon and Speaker Parubiy signed a memorandum of understanding between the two parliaments. The contents of MOU include further cooperation of the two countries in trade, economy, science and technology, society and culture.   BY MSEAP Cyber Secretariat (mseap@assembly.go.kr)

  On this day in 1963, Kenya gains independence after forty three years of British colonial rule. Kenya is declared a republic in 1974 with Jomo Kenyatta as the country’s president.

  On December 10th, Speaker of the State Duma of Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Vyacheslav Volodin paid an official visit to India, meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vice-President Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu.   During the meeting, Vice-President of India said that key areas of cooperation are expanding beyond traditional realm of defense industry, space industry, and atomic energy, to include cooperation in railway construction and trade of precious stones, and more.   The speaker and the vice-president applauded the trade volume between the two countries, which is predicted to exceed $10 billion in 2018, with 21 percent growth from last year.   On the same day, the Russian parliamentary delegation led by Speaker Volodin also met Sumitra Mahajan, the speaker of Lok Sabha, the lower house of Indian Parliament. The two speakers co-chaired the Fifth session of the Russia-India Inter-Parliamentary Commission.   Speaker Mahajan said she was satisfied with the progress in India-Russia relations and pleased to say that the two countries will continue strategic partnership in the future.   Enhanced contacts and bilateral visits enable parliamentarians to gain perspectives and enhance the relations,” Speaker Mahajan added.   During the meeting, the parties agreed that the engagement of women and youth in democratic practices is vital in fostering development and bilateral relations. The two speakers agreed to hold the first conference of young in 2019 in India, then a year later in Russia.   BY MSEAP Cyber Secretariat (mseap@assembly.go.kr)