Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin will attend the 16th Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum to take place in the Turkmen capital of Ashgabat on November 1, says Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a press release.
The Forum will be co-hosted by the Korean and Turkmenistan Ministries of Foreign Affairs and bring together the Foreign Ministers of the five Central Asian countries in their capacity as head delegates and about 200 experts, including in industrial, academic, private, and public sectors from Korea and the Central Asian countries.
The Forum, themed “pursuing cooperation through the realization of youth’s potentials for a sustainable future of Korea and Central Asia,” will cover ways for Korea-Central Asia cooperation in the areas of transportation and logistics, public healthcare and pharmaceuticals, climate change and environment, information and communications technology (ICT), education and science, and tourism.
On the sidelines of the Forum, Foreign Minister Park will have bilateral meetings with his counterparts from the Central Asian countries and exchange views with them on bilateral relations, substantive cooperation, regional affairs and Korea’s bid to host World Expo 2030 in Busan.
Foreign Minister Park will take the opportunity of the Forum to make the first official visit to Turkmenistan by a Korean Foreign Minister since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1992.
He will pay a courtesy call on the President of Turkmenistan and have a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs to closely discuss ways to further cooperate in various sectors, including energy and plants, transportation infrastructure and public healthcare.
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During the government meeting on Saturday, 28 October, DPM, foreign minister of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov reported to the President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, on the preparations for the 16th meeting of the Central Asia-Republic of Korea Cooperation Forum within the framework of Turkmenistan’s chairmanship in this platform in 2023.
It is planned to hold six thematic sessions during the forum, which cover such areas as:
- transport and logistics
- healthcare and medicine
- climate change and environmental protection
- information and communication technologies
- education and science
- tourism
It is planned to organize bilateral meetings at the ministerial level, and a final document will be adopted at the end of the forum.
A series of events will be held on the sidelines of the forum:
- business forum of young entrepreneurs from Central Asia and the Republic of Korea
- 4th meeting of the Central Asia-Republic of Korea Business Council
- 5th meeting of the Turkmenistan-Republic of Korea Business Council
- an exhibition of achievements of the Central Asian states and the Republic of Korea
President Serdar Berdimuhamedov noted that strengthening fruitful ties with Korea is among the priority vectors of Turkmenistan’s foreign policy.
Bilateral relations between Turkmenistan and the Republic of Korea have been actively developed in recent years, based on the principles of equality, mutual benefit, respect, and trust. These relations continue to grow steadily, with new areas of cooperation being explored all the time.
The Central Asia-Republic of Korea Cooperation Forum plays an important role in strengthening these bilateral relations. President Berdimuhamedov has emphasized the need to continue working on building a long-term partnership with the Central Asian states, and has ordered that a high level of organization be ensured for the upcoming forum. ///nCa, 30 October 2023
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