Korea, Central Asia pledge stronger ties

Korea and five key Central Asian countries yesterday held a forum aimed at fortifying their ties in a wide array of areas stretching from the government to corporate sector and academia, the Foreign Ministry said.

Vice foreign minister-level officials from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan were here for the event that started with bilateral meetings between the officials and their Korean counterparts on Tuesday.

"Korea will maintain mutually cooperative relations with these five Central Asian nations to become a true partner," Shin Kak-soo, the Korean vice foreign minister, said in a keynote speech for the forum.

The Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Knowledge Economy and the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy jointly hosted the forum. The annual gathering is the third of its kind.



Today, the Knowledge Ministry and the Federation of Korean Industries will co-host a separate investment forum connecting Korean investors to Central Asia.

"Central Asian countries, keen on promoting modernization and industrializations, have long been interested in developing their relations with Korea," said Kim Eun-joong, director general of the Foreign Ministry`s European Affairs Bureau. "In particular, the region is seeking to share Korea`s experience as a unique nation that simultaneously fostered democracy and market economy."

Korea is currently the only nation in the world to hold such annual meetings with Central Asia, with the exception of the European Union.

Emerging market nations have over the years been increasingly seeking closer ties with Korea with aim to take a page from Korea`s industrialization process.

In return, Seoul hopes to access natural reserves. The country also hopes to convey efficient development tips in the process, such as via joint investment schemes.

To diversify the forum, Central Asian students currently studying in Korea also were invited, along with Korean students majoring in fields related to Russia and Central Asia.

Korea has been increasingly engaging its Asian partners as a part of its New Asia Initiative, a diplomatic policy shaped in efforts to draw closer to countries besides the four most powerful-the United States, China, Japan and Russia.

President Lee Myung-bak has visited several countries in North and Southeast Asia during the past year as a part of this initiative. Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan also has forged strategic relationships with Asian neighbors, including those in the Southwest such as India, one of the fastest growing markets in the world.

(jemmie@heraldm.com)



By Kim Ji-hyun