Today, November 30, 2021, the 14th Forum on Cooperation «Republic of Korea – Central Asia» was held in Dushanbe at the level of Ministers of the foreign affairs agencies of the Republic of Korea, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The delegation of Kyrgyzstan, consisting of representatives of ministries and departments of the country was headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs R. Kazakbaev.

Minister R. Kazakbaev briefed on the current domestic political situation in the Kyrgyz Republic, in particular, about the first parliamentary elections to the Jogorku Kenesh of the Kyrgyz Republic after the entry into force of the new Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic in May 2021. This event was the logical conclusion of the political cycle of transformations the expressed will of  the Kyrgyz people.

R. Kazakbaev informed that 735 international observers representing 14 electoral and 20 international organizations, including the SCO, CSTO, CIS, TurkPA, as well as the international mission of OSCE/ODIHR, monitor the election process from more than 50 countries. International observers gave a positive assessment of the organization of the elections to the Jogorku Kenesh of the Kyrgyz Republic.

During the event, the heads of delegations of the Central Asian countries exchanged views on the development of cooperation between the Republic of Korea in the field of forestry, energy, healthcare and digitalization. Separate thematic sessions were held with the participation of experts from Central Asian countries.

In his speech, R. Kazakbaev noted that regional cooperation is acquiring a stable trend and creates favorable conditions for the full enhancement of active dialogue and practical interaction in the «Central Asia – Republic of Korea» format. Within the framework of the upcoming celebration of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the countries of Central Asia and the Republic of Korea, R. Kazakbaev proposed to hold a number of events timed to coincide with this significant date, including the exchange of mutual visits at the highest and high levels, the organization of business forums and cross culture days.

Referring to interaction within the framework of the Forum «Central Asia - Republic of Korea», as well as the initiative of the President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-In «New Northern Policy», which is aimed at intensifying cooperation with countries in the northern direction, R. Kazakbaev called on the parties to implement joint projects in the field of health , environment, hydropower and digitalization.

The Minister informed that the current main activity of the Government of Kyrgyzstan is to promote the digital foundations of the development of the state. Kyrgyzstan has already achieved some success in digitalization of the electoral system, integration and interaction of state bodies through the unified system "Tunduk", implemented with the participation of KOICA. In this regard, he expressed hope to continue the cooperation with the Korean side in this direction.

He stressed that the epidemiological situation in the world associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to numerous victims and subjected national health systems to an unprecedented test of strength, confirmed the need to expand our cooperation in the field of health and medicine.

In this regard, he expressed gratitude to the leadership of the Republic of Korea for providing timely humanitarian assistance, and also stressed the importance of further cooperation between the countries to combat COVID-19.

As a result of the Forum, a Joint Statement and the Work Plan of the Forum Secretariat for 2022 were adopted, and the candidacy of Lee Jong-guk for the post of Executive Director of the Secretariat was approved

For reference: Initiated by the Republic of Korea, the Forum has been organized annually since 2007, and is aimed at strengthening and expanding cooperation in the field of economics, information and communication technologies, construction and transport, science, culture, education, tourism, as well as the exchange of experience between the Republic of Korea and the countries of Central Asia.