Seoul, March 18 (IANS) The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has pledged to supply crude oil to South Korea with top priority, President Lee Jae Myung's top aide said on Wednesday, saying that a total of 24 million barrels of crude oil have been secured from the Gulf nation.

Kang Hoon-sik, the presidential chief of staff, made the announcement in a briefing after returning from his trip to the UAE, amid concerns over global energy markets with the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran and Tehran's retaliatory strikes entering their third week, reports Yonhap news agency.

"The UAE clearly promised us that no country would receive crude oil ahead of South Korea, and that we are the 'No. 1 priority' in terms of its oil supply," Kang said.

With the latest announcement, South Korea is set to receive a total of 24 million barrels of crude oil from the UAE, including an earlier agreement of 6 million barrels, according to Kang.

Around 3,000 of the 3,500 South Korean nationals staying short-term in the UAE have returned back home safely, he added.

Meanwhile, President Lee Jae Myung has sent letters to the leaders of Japan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to express his gratitude for their cooperation in evacuating South Korean nationals from the Middle East, Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday, with the U.S.-Israel war with Iran destabilising the region.

In a letter to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi the previous day, Lee expressed his appreciation for Japan's assistance in evacuating 16 South Koreans and their family members of other nationalities to Tokyo on Japanese chartered flights last Wednesday and Friday.

Lee also praised the close bilateral coordination between the two countries as Japanese nationals were transported from Saudi Arabia to South Korea on a South Korean military aircraft, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said.

—IANS

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