Highlights
- Korea and the five Central Asian countries confirm the importance partnership and strengthening cooperation
- Ashgabat to host the next Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum.
- Turkmenistan supports the solidarity of the Central Asian countries and Korea in matters of peace and security
- Meeting of Turkmen and Korean FMs
- Busan and Turkmenbashi may become twin cities
On 25 October 2022, Busan hosted the 15th Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum.
The forum, chaired by Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin, was attended by the foreign ministers of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.
The motto of the meeting was “Korea-Central Asia: a joint journey to a better future”. In total, about 200 delegates attended the forum, including representatives of the governments of Korea and five Central Asian countries, businessmen and private sector experts.
In his speech at the opening ceremony, Minister Park Jin highly appreciated the steady development of friendship and cooperation in various fields over the past 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and the five Central Asian countries in 1992.
Park said that now, on the threshold of the beginning of a new 30th anniversary of cooperation, Korea and Central Asia are facing global shifts and challenges, such as climate change, digital inequality, health and economic security.
The South Korean Foreign Minister also called the regional countries to provide support for the hosting of the global exhibition EXPO-2030 in Busan – the center of transport, logistics and culture in Northeast Asia.
A consensus was reached at the forum that the tourism sector is a promising area with great potential for cooperation between Korea and Central Asia. In particular, a special session on tourism was held, which featured tourist products offered by Korea and Central Asian countries.
In addition, during the Forum, diplomats and experts from the participating countries discussed ways to enhance cooperation in the fields of energy, digital technologies, economic security, and healthcare.
The participants noted the special significance of the current Forum in the year of the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Central Asian states and the Republic of Korea, as well as the 15th anniversary of the launch of this format of cooperation.
The joint final statement of the foreign ministers outlined the diplomatic vision of the Korean government as a “global key country promoting freedom, peace and prosperity,” and also confirmed that Korea and the five Central Asian countries are important partners in strengthening cooperation.
The parties agreed to hold the 16th Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum in 2023 in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
Turkmenistan supports the solidarity of the Central Asian countries and Korea in matters of peace and security
The delegation of Turkmenistan was headed by Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov.
In his speech, foreign minister of Turkmenistan underlined that “the main task today is the solidarity of the Central Asian countries and the Republic of Korea in preserving universal long-term peace and stability.”
In these conditions, the role of political and diplomatic interaction as well as establishing a regular and open exchange of views on issues of mutual interest between our countries is growing, Meredov stressed.
The Head of the Foreign Ministry of Turkmenistan noted great prospects for joint activities in the implementation of projects in high-tech industries, including telecommunications and space, water desalination.
Meredov held a number of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the forum.
Meeting of Turkmen and Korean FMs
During the meeting the parties noted the positive dynamics of the development of Turkmenistan’s partnership with the Republic of Korea in bilateral and multilateral formats.
In this regard, the diplomats highly appreciated the activities of the Central Asia-Republic of Korea Cooperation Forum, which in recent years has proved itself as one of the most effective mechanisms for the successful development of comprehensive cooperation between the countries of the Central Asian region and the Republic of Korea.
Meredov said that Turkmenistan accepts the baton of chairing the Forum with a sense of gratitude and high responsibility and from today begins active preparations for the next 16th meeting of the Republic of Korea-Central Asia Forum in 2023 in Ashgabat.
Meredov said that Turkmenistan attaches great importance to the development of inter-parliamentary cooperation between the two countries and expresses confidence that the first official visit of Chairman of the upper house of Turkmen parliament Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to Korea in November this year will open a new page in the history of bilateral relations between two countries both through parliamentarians and in other areas of mutual cooperation.
Touching upon the issues of the bilateral and multilateral agenda, the sides noted the progressive development of Turkmen-Korean cooperation, where the countries demonstrate their commitment to expanding the spheres of trade and economic partnership and further deepening cultural and humanitarian ties.
Busan and Turkmenbashi may become twin cities
During the meeting with the Mayor of Busan, Park Hyeong-joon, the Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan noted that during his state visit to the Republic of Korea in 2008 the former President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov visited the city of Busan, which is the second largest city in the country and the fifth largest seaport of the world.
In this regard, it was proposed to explore the possibilities of developing future cooperation between the International Seaports of Turkmenbashi and Busan for the mutual exchange of experience between the two countries in the field of port management. The idea was also voiced to sign an agreement on establishing twinning ties between the cities of Turkmenbashi and Busan in the future.
This step could contribute to stepping up bilateral relations and developing trade and economic cooperation between Turkmenistan and Korea.
During the negotiations, the sides discussed the pace of partnership in the field of information and digital technologies, transport, communications, shipbuilding, water management, forestry, architecture and urban planning. ///nCa, 26 October 2022