Oriented on making people closer

The 17th Central Asia-Republic of Korea Cooperation Forum was held in Seoul on November 4, chaired by South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yeol.

The forum was attended by delegations led by the heads of the foreign ministries of the Central Asian countries. The Turkmen delegation was headed by Ambassador Begench Durdyev.

The forum discussed key areas of partnership between the Central Asian countries and the Republic of Korea, covering such areas as transport and logistics cooperation, energy cooperation, digital transformation and ecology.

Speaking at the forum, Ambassador Durdyev noted Turkmenistan's commitment to the formation of large-scale ties within the framework of the Central Asia - Republic of Korea Cooperation Forum and emphasized the prospects for further development of relations in such sectors as economics, transport and logistics, science and education, medicine, tourism, digitalization and high technology, environmental protection, industry, agriculture, cultural and humanitarian ties.

The Forum participants paid special attention to the results of the second meeting of the speakers of the parliaments of the Central Asian countries and the Republic of Korea, which took place on October 14, 2024 in Ashgabat.

Following the main session of the Forum, four plenary sessions were held in a hybrid format on the topics of "Supply Chains", "Environment", "Digitalization" and "Tourism". Representatives of the ministries and departments of Turkmenistan took part in the sessions online.

Following the Forum, the heads of delegations adopted a Joint Statement and the Forum Secretariat Work Plan for 2025, and also got acquainted with the exhibition of cultural heritage of Central Asian countries and the Republic of Korea.

On the same day, the heads of the Forum delegations met with President of the Republic of Korea Yoon Seok-yul. Addressing the heads of delegations of Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, he expressed gratitude for the hospitality provided during his state visits to these countries in June of this year and noted the readiness to implement the agreements reached during these visits, the press service of the Turkmen Foreign Ministry reported.

On Tuesday, November 5, the 5th meeting of the Business Council "Central Asia - Republic of Korea" was held. Noting the importance of activating economic relations, the participants of the meeting considered ways to expand partnership in various sectors.

The first Central Asia-Republic of Korea summit is scheduled to be held in 2025 in Seoul

The South Korean government has been making increasing efforts to strengthen ties with Central Asian countries amid the region’s growing strategic importance. In June, it unveiled the “K-Silk Road” initiative, which aims to develop partnerships with Central Asia in key areas: resource development, technical assistance for development, people-to-people exchanges, and public-private partnerships.

Seoul believes that if South Korea, a tech giant, and Central Asian countries, which are rich in natural gas and key minerals, strengthen cooperation on energy resources, it could bring benefits to both sides.

ORIENT

Photo: mfa.gov.tm