Foreign Minister Park Jin held a series of bilateral meetings with his Uzbek and Tajik counterparts and the Turkmen deputy prime minister to discuss ways to boost economic cooperation, his office said Wednesday, Yonhap reports.

On the margins of the 16th South Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum in Turkmenistan, Park met his Uzbek counterpart, Bakhtiyor Saidov, the previous day and agreed to further enhance cooperation in areas such as energy, resources, supply chains, health, education and defense.

Park asked for Uzbekistan's support to provide opportunities for South Korean companies to participate in major infrastructure projects, such as building highways, the ministry said.

During the meeting, Saidov also extended an invitation for President Yoon Suk Yeol to visit Uzbekistan at the earliest date possible to elevate their relations to a "special strategic partnership," it added.

Park also held separate talks with his Tajik counterpart, Sirojiddin Muhriddin, and voiced hope for expanded business opportunities for South Korean companies in Tajikistan.

He then urged the Central Asian country's support for South Korea's bid to host the 2030 World Expo in the southeastern city of Busan.

Muhriddin said Tajikistan will actively seek to create a business environment favorable for some 200 South Korean firms currently in the country, as well as future investments, according to the ministry.

Earlier in the day, Park met with the Turkmen deputy prime minister in charge of the energy sector.

During the meeting, Baymyrat Annamammedov, deputy prime minister for construction, industry and electric power industry, expressed hope that more opportunities will come along for new projects in energy and infrastructure with South Korean companies, according to the ministry.

The meeting took place at the request of the Turkmen side.

At the meeting, Park asked for Turkmenistan's support for business areas in which South Korean industries are keen to invest, such as fertilizer plants, natural gas liquefaction and desulfurization.

Currently, South Korean companies are working to win two projects to build fertilizer factories -- one in the Balkan region and the other in the city of Turkmenabat. The combined value of the projects is US$2.5 billion.

In November, South Korea's Hyundai Engineering Co. signed a memorandum of understanding with Turkmenistan for an ammonia and urea fertilizer plant project in the Balkan region.

Turkmenistan has the world's fourth-largest natural gas reserves and has a high demand for plant construction.