On the evening of June 22nd, local time, Busan City announced it had signed a Friendship and Cooperation Agreement with Koper City at the Town Hall in Koper, Slovenia. Koper is not only Slovenia’s largest port city but also the leading maritime logistics gateway for Central and Eastern Europe.
Situated on Slovenia’s short Adriatic coastline, Koper’s strategic geographical position, convenient rail facilities connected to its port, and non-freezing harbor even in mid-winter have made it the port through which South Korea exports the most goods to the Central and Eastern European region.
This agreement follows discussions between the two countries’ leaders in 2018 and 2019, with the aim of expanding and developing areas of cooperation between Busan and Koper. The focal point of these discussions centered around increasing trade, investment, maritime, and logistics cooperation between the two nations, with the Port of Koper at the heart of these discussions.
Both Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon and Koper Mayor Aleš Bržan attended the agreement ceremony and personally signed the agreement. With this Friendship and Cooperation Agreement, the two cities plan to promote exchange and cooperation in various fields, including ports, economy, culture, information technology (IT), and human exchange.
Importantly, this agreement is expected to spur both cities to achieve mutual development through collaboration. Busan aims to build a world-class tri-port integrated logistics system, while Koper intends to strengthen its role as a maritime logistics hub city in Central and Eastern Europe.
Koper, with its rich and diverse history reflected in the city’s architecture and cultural heritage, also serves as a tourist attraction for its picturesque and historical sights, including the charming old town, Tito Square, with significant buildings such as the Praetorian Palace and the Cathedral of the Assumption.
Mayor Park of Busan City said, “The Friendship and Cooperation Agreement between Busan and Koper will be an important driving force for economic growth and regional exchange between the two cities. We will do our best to successfully build the tri-port integrated logistics system and Central and Eastern European maritime logistics hub city that both cities aim for through cooperation in the future.”
