A roundtable of think tanks of Central Asian countries and the Republic of Korea was held in Seoul on 20 November 2023, the Foreign Ministry of Kazakhstan said in a press release.
During the event, the participants discussed issues of cooperation within the framework of the Central Asia – Republic of Korea Cooperation Forum (CARK).
Speaking at the event, Ambassador of Kazakhstan Nurgali Arystanov emphasized the importance of comprehensive development of cooperation through think tanks in order to strengthen political, economic, cultural and humanitarian ties between the countries of Central Asia and Korea, and also stressed the progressive nature of regional cooperation within the framework of CARK.
Following the event, the parties have agreed to launch a regular Forum of think tanks of Central Asian countries and the Republic of Korea in accordance with the decision of the foreign ministers of the participating countries.
Under the Forum, research institutes will present recommendations and proposals on promising areas of cooperation in this format. As an outcome document of the roundtable, a Joint statement was issued, which outlines the main agreements of the research centers.
Here is the text of the Joint Statement, published by the Embassy of Kazakhstan to Korea:
Joint Statement on Launching the Korea-Central Asia Think Tank Forum
On November 20, 2023, the Korea-Central Asia Think Tank Roundtable Conference was held in Seoul, with the participation of the Korea Foundation (operator of the Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum Secretariat), the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the National Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Center for Strategic Research under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, the Embassy of Turkmenistan in the Republic of Korea, and the International Institute for Central Asia of Uzbekistan. The roundtable, which focused on cooperation between think tanks and experts from Korea and Central Asia, was initiated as a follow-up to a proposal made on October 25, 2022 at the 15th Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum held in Busan.
Representatives of the Sides engaged in discussions aimed at reviewing the outcomes of cooperation between Korea and Central Asia since the establishment of diplomatic relationships, as well as future perspectives to further develop reciprocal relations. The representatives expressed that the role of strategic research institutes is crucial to further elevating the level of cooperation between Korea and Central Asian countries by developing collaborative policy strategies and raising a visionary cooperative agenda.
The representatives stressed that to these ends, a dialogue platform between think tanks and experts from Korea and Central Asian countries should be created and held on a regular basis. Accordingly, the establishment of the Korea-Central Asia Think Tank Forum was proposed as a cooperative network between major research institutes in Korea and Central Asia.
In this regard, the representatives agreed to launch the Korea-Central Asia Think Tank Forum with the following orientation:
– The forum will convene on an annual basis, based on the principle of reciprocity.
– The first forum will take place in the Republic of Korea in 2024.
– The forum members will participate in in-depth discussions on their shared regional and global issues.
– At the recommendation of an existing member institution, new member(s) may be accepted into or participate in meetings of the forum with the aim of furthering its effective operation and function.
The six representatives affirmed their intentions to continue consultations to realize the establishment of the forum. ///nCa, 21 November 2023