Foreign Minister Park Jin met with a group of South Korean envoys stationed in the Middle East to discuss ways to strengthen diplomacy in the region and urged efforts to promote Seoul's bid to host the 2030 World Expo, his office said Monday.

Park also stressed that an "unprecedented change in the recent political situation of the Middle East has presented new challenges and opportunities" at the meeting held in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday.

The meeting was attended by 16 heads of the South Korean mission, including ambassadors based in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Park noted the challenges in drumming up support for South Korea's bid to host the World Expo in the southeastern port city of Busan as it competes against Saudi Arabia, which maintains close ties with most Arab countries.

He urged the envoys to show their unyielding and tenacious efforts in the bid with strong determination akin to "selling heaters in the scorching Middle East."

Separately, Park held a luncheon meeting with the heads of UAE-based state firms, such as the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, as well as major private companies. (Yonhap)