On October 25, 2022, the delegation of the Kyrgyz Republic headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic Zheenbek Kulubaev took part in the 15th anniversary meeting of the Central Asia - Republic of Korea Cooperation Forum (CARK) in Busan at the level of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the participating countries, timed to 30^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the countries of Central Asia and the Republic of Korea.

The agenda of the 15th meeting of the Forum includes such topical areas as healthcare, digitalization, tourism, economic security, environment and energy.

In accordance with the agenda, plenary sessions were held in the above areas with the participation of representatives of Central Asia and South Korea for further close cooperation and joint implementation of the agreements reached.

In his speech, Minister Zh.Kulubaev noted that the Forum "Central Asia - Republic of Korea" is developing along a promising path of transformation into an effective regional platform of interaction, contributes to deepening practical cooperation in many relevant areas, and also makes a significant contribution to strengthening relations between Central Asian states with the Republic of Korea.

The Foreign Minister stressed that one of the priorities of Kyrgyzstan's foreign policy is to strengthen friendly relations with neighboring states, as well as with the Republic of Korea on the basis of mutual respect and mutually beneficial partnership. Practical interaction within the CA region in recent years has acquired positive dynamics and reached a fundamentally new level. In this context, he noted that the format of the Consultative Meetings of the Heads of State of the CA plays an important role in promoting regional cooperation, the Fourth Meeting of which took place on July 21, 2022 in Kyrgyzstan in Cholpon-Ata and was an effective step in further deepening cooperation in Central Asia.

At the same time, he added that the Central Asia-Republic of Korea Forum differs markedly from other dialogues of the CA + format platforms in that it has a full-fledged and actively functioning Secretariat that promotes the goals and principles of the Forum.

Zh.Kulubaev confirmed Kyrgyzstan's interest in unlocking the practical potential of the Forum, actively promote and participate in projects and activities in all priority areas that meet the interests of the participating countries. The development of the areas considered by the Forum form the basis of the strategic goals for sustainable development of the Kyrgyz Republic. According to these areas, Kyrgyzstan is working fruitfully with Korea both bilaterally and within the framework of the Forum.

In his speech, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea Park Chin noted that the Republic of Korea attaches importance to cooperation with the Central Asia region and will continue the implementation of various joint projects in priority areas of cooperation in accordance with the Forum's agenda. He added that over 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations with the countries of Central Asia, the countries have managed to build a full-fledged sustainable political dialogue, trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian interaction is intensified.

Central Asian foreign ministers were also greeted by Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon. In his speech, Mayor Park Heong-joon expressed his readiness to work closely with the CA countries, taking into account the interest of the Korean side in strengthening twinning ties with the cities of the Central Asian region.

Following the meeting of the Forum, the heads of delegations approved the work plan of the Secretariat of the CARK Forum for 2023 and adopted a joint statement of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Central Asian Republic and Korea, which reflects the promising areas of interaction that are relevant and correspond to the interests of all participating countries.

In addition, as part of the 15^th meeting of the Forum in Seoul, collective meetings of the heads of the CA delegations were held with the Speaker of the Korean Parliament Kim Jin-pyo and the Prime Minister of Korea Han Duck-soo, during which the Korean side noted that the Central Asia region will continue to remain one of the important partners of the Republic of Korea and stressed its readiness to further strengthen cooperation with CA countries in priority areas of interaction.

For reference: From October 23 to October 25 of this year Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic Zh.Kulubaev is in the Republic of Korea on an official visit, during which bilateral meetings were held with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Speaker of the Parliament and the Prime Minister of Korea.