President Lee Myung-bak and Guinea’s President Alpha Conde held a summit Wednesday and discussed expanding resource development and other economic cooperation, the presidential office said.

Conde arrived Tuesday for a three-day trip as the first Guinean president to visit Seoul.

During the summit, Lee asked for Guinea’s support for South Korean firms interested in resource development in the African nation. Guinea has one-third of the world’s bauxite reserves and is rich in other mineral resources, such as iron ore, gold and diamonds.

Lee also welcomed Guinea’s participation in the World Expo under way in the port city of Yeosu.

Conde said he was pleased to observe South Korea’s economic development during his visit, and expressed hope for greater development aid and expanding agricultural and fishery cooperation and that Guinea could share Seoul’s development experience, the presidential office said.

He also expressed hope South Korean firms would make more investments in Guinea.

Conde was elected president in 2010 in Guinea’s first democratic election since its independence in 1958. His trip to South Korea includes a visit to state agencies handling agricultural development and water resource management. (Yonhap News)