AKIPRESS.COM - South Korea and Uzbekistan agreed Thursday to push for large-scale cooperative projects in the Central Asian country, a move that could further boost their economic ties, Yonhap news agency reports.

The agreement was reached in a summit between President Park Geun-hye and her Uzbek counterpart, Islam Karimov, in Seoul, the second such meeting in a year.

South Korea said it can set up mutually beneficial ties with Uzbekistan by marrying Seoul's technology and know-how for economic development with Tashkent's rich natural resources.

"The two sides agreed to push for large-scale cooperative projects in Uzbekistan's economy ... to introduce advanced technology and attract direct investment from major South Korean companies," according to a joint statement issued after the summit.

Uzbekistan said it is ready for active cooperation to create a favorable atmosphere for the implementation of joint projects with major South Korean companies.

The main areas of bilateral cooperation include oil, gas, petrochemicals, automobiles, solar energy as well as modernization projects for transport infrastructure in Uzbekistan.