JERUSALEM, July 17 (Xinhua) -- Israeli President Reuven Rivlin signed on Wednesday cooperation agreements with South Korea amidst progress towards a bilateral free trade agreement, Rivlin's office said.
He also visited the demilitarized zone between south and north Koreas on the same day, signing a brick in the wall signed by world leaders who visit the buffering area.
Rivlin, who arrived in South Korea on Sunday for a five-day visit, participated in the signing ceremony of a series of agreements on academic cooperation, his office said.
The agreements include joint research and cooperation in the areas of innovation, entrepreneurship and nanotechnology, as well as programs for student exchanges.
On Monday, Rivlin and South Korea President Moon Jae-in called for signing a free trade agreement between the two countries during a business conference attended by senior Israeli and South Korean business people.
South Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee said in a statement that a free trade agreement "will significantly expand our relationship as well as the market," adding that it will give both countries a boost in a variety of fields.
This is the first visit by an Israeli president to South Korea since the late President Shimon Peres visited Seoul in 2010.
The talks over a free trade agreement between the two countries started some four years ago.
An official with the Israeli Foreign Ministry, speaking on conditions of anonymity, told Xinhua that the two nations are in the "last stages" of finalizing the deal, adding that the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might arrive in Seoul to ink the deal "in the next few weeks."
The volume of trade between the two countries hit an all-time high in 2018 and amounted to about 2.6 billion U.S. dollars, according to official Israeli figures.
