[앵커]
Our consul personally met our sailors detained in Iran to ensure their personal safety.
Upon arriving in the country, the working-level delegation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs plans to enter into negotiations with Iranian authorities to lift the detention as soon as the preparations are complete.
This is reporter Dowon Kim.
[기자]
The Korean Kemi, captured by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, is detained in Bandar Abbas, a port city in southern Iran.
Our consul, dispatched locally, interviewed one of our sailors as representatives.
It is a message that all sailors, including five Korean sailors, have been confirmed to be healthy and safe, and that there has been no problematic action by Iran.
[최영삼 / 외교부 대변인 : 정부는 앞으로도 이란 당국과의 교섭을 통해서 조속히 여타 선원들에 대한 영사 접견도 계속해서 추진할 예정입니다.]
The working-level delegation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who has arrived in the country, is also planning to negotiate with Iranian authorities to lift the detention soon.
Iran said Thursday and Friday are holidays, so negotiations may be delayed, but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it will push ahead with the urgent issue in mind.
In the midst of this, the Iranian government is known to have pushed ahead with a plan to purchase medical equipment for 1 billion dollars out of the 7 billion dollars frozen in South Korea.
In response, an official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the specific scale was not confirmed, but the government’s goal is to continue to expand humanitarian trade, including vaccines and medical equipment.
He repeatedly explained that it was a matter for Iran to decide, saying that the purchase of the COVID-19 vaccine using Iranian freeze funds has also been approved by the United States and all necessary procedures have been completed.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed that it is thinking of a creative way to deal with the frozen funding issue, and it is expected to be discussed on the 10th at the first Vice Minister Choi Jong-gun’s visit to Iran.
Iran stresses that the detention of ships is due to environmental pollution, but has yet to provide evidence.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is reviewing the facts and legal aspects from various angles, saying that it will not predict the plan to claim compensation if there is no evidence.
This is YTN Kim Do-won.
[저작권자(c) YTN & YTN plus 무단전재 및 재배포 금지]
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