Parliamentary leaders of the member countries to MIKTA, a consultative body comprising emerging middle powers, gathered in Seoul on Wednesday to enhance coordination on global issues ranging from climate change to East Asian security.

MIKTA -- an acronym of the member countries Mexico, Indonesia, Korea, Turkey and Australia -- was formed under the lead of Seoul in 2013.

The MIKTA Speakers’ Consultation will be held through this Sunday to discuss the role of the legislature in the efforts toward better cooperation on world issues, the South Korean National Assembly said.

Four of the five member countries are taking part in the event that will conclude with a joint declaration, the Assembly added. Turkish lawmakers could not make the trip, as they have yet to pick a new parliamentary speaker since the country’s general elections last month, organizers said.

On the first day of the conference, Korea’s Assembly Speaker Rep. Chung Ui-hwa held one-on-one talks with his Indonesian and Australian counterparts, Irman Gusman and Stephen Parry, respectively. Chung will meet Mexican Senate Speaker Miguel Barbosa early Friday.

Among items on the agenda are the North Korean nuclear issue, Seoul’s North Korea policy and sustainable development goals, Seoul’s Assembly officials said.

Experts have said MIKTA benefits its members by allowing them to forge strategic alliances at larger international meetings such as the U.N. Security Council. The five nations are also in the G-20, the group of 20 major economies. MIKTA accounts for about 6 percent of the world economy.

Political scientists are in disagreement over whether MIKTA should be framed as a “middle-power” group, but Korean analysts have said that the consultative group could be a way to escape the country’s diplomatic dilemma between China and the U.S.

Seoul relies on Beijing’s consumer market for exports, while it depends on Washington for national security concerning Pyongyang.

China’s economic and political rise have raised ambivalent eyes in Washington. China’s market provides the U.S. with economic opportunities, but Beijing’s growing military power and recent territorial disputes with neighboring Asian countries have triggered alarm bells in the U.S.

MIKTA could allow Seoul to enhance economic ties with the four other member countries and gain their support in national security issues, such as North Korea’s growing nuclear threat and unpredictable behavior at international meetings, pundits have said.

“Indonesia and Australia have been especially excited about this,” a South Korean parliamentary official said, asking not be quoted as he was not authorized to speak to the media about the event.

By Jeong Hunny (hj257@heraldcorp.com)