S. Korea, NATO to launch negotiations on basic procurement agreement: Seoul official

President Lee Jae Myung (L) and North Atlantic Treaty Organization Secretary General Mark Rutte shake hands during their meeting in Ankara, Turkey, on Tuesday, on the sidelines of the NATO summit. (Yonhap) South Korea and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization agreed Tuesday to launch negotiations on a framework agreement on procurement, a move expected to pave the way for the Asian country's entry into the transatlantic alliance's defense procurement industry, a presidential official said.The agreement was reached as President Lee Jae Myung held a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to discuss bilateral cooperation on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Seoul's National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said.Lee is attending the summit at the invitation of the NATO chief.The envisioned procurement agreement, if reached, would establish an institutional foundation for South Korean companies to access NATO's joint defense procurement market, valued at around 15 trillion won ($9.9 billion), according to Wi.NATO's defense market is the world's largest, he said.At the start of the meeting, Lee said he was pleased to meet Rutte in person for the first time, while Rutte thanked Lee for his efforts to further strengthen ties between South Korea and NATO.The two-day NATO summit brings together the leaders of NATO's 32 member states, along with those of partner nations, including South Korea. The summit is set to end Wednesday.On the occasion of Lee's attendance at the summit, South Korea also pledged to provide $100 million in assistance to Ukraine, which is currently at war with Russia, Wi said.The pledge demonstrated Seoul's commitment to contributing to international peace and security, Wi said, adding that the country will join international efforts to restore peace in Ukraine.The pledged assistance, however, will not include the provision of lethal weapons to Ukraine, a presidential official said on condition of anonymity."Our position on assistance for Ukraine remains unchanged ... We will not provide lethal weapons," the official said, adding that the pledged assistance will be directed to other areas. (Yonhap)