By Lee Kap-soo

Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin held the 1st Korea-Uzbekistan foreign ministers’ strategic dialogue with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan Bakhtiyor Saidov, who is on an official visit to Korea from September 10 to 12, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on September 11, and discussed a range of issues, including ways to enhance bilateral relations.

Foreign Minister Park expressed hope to further develop relations between Korea and Uzbekistan, the only country in Central Asia that has established the Special Strategic Partnership with Korea as well as a major friend of Korea. He also hoped that the strategic dialogue, in which the two countries comprehensively discuss key bilateral issues, would contribute to elevating bilateral relations to a higher level. Foreign Minister Saidov suggested continuing to work together for the strategic dialogue to become a crucial communication channel driving the development of bilateral relations.

The two sides also agreed to continue to expand high-level exchanges, which have played an important role in advancing bilateral relations, and further strengthen strategic cooperation in various areas, including transportation and infrastructure, core raw material supply chains, energy, the defense industry, health and medical care, education, environment, and the digital sector.

Foreign Minister Park requested Foreign Minister Saidov’s special attention and support to ensure that Korean companies participate in large-scale transportation infrastructure projects, including high-speed railways and highways. Foreign Minister Saidov greatly welcomed Korean companies’ investments and suggested working closely together for the continued participation of Korean companies.

In the field of supply chains, the two sides agreed to closely cooperate to establish supply chains for core raw materials, including molybdenum and tungsten, through cooperation projects, such as the commercialization of rare metals utilizing Uzbekistan's abundant resources and Korea's advanced technologies.

Foreign Minister Park expressed appreciation to Foreign Minister Saidov for his active efforts to resolve difficulties faced by Korean companies, including holding a meeting recently with Korean entrepreneurs, and asked for continued support to ensure the stable operations of Korean companies in Uzbekistan. Foreign Minister Saidov said that Uzbekistan would continue to take concrete measures to address the difficulties.

In addition, in the strategic dialogue, Foreign Minister Park explained the Korean government’s efforts to host the 2030 World Expo in Busan, and requested Uzbekistan’s support for Busan’s bid to host the event.

Furthermore, Foreign Minister Park requested the Uzbek government’s continued support for efforts toward the denuclearization of North Korea and peace on the Korean Peninsula, and Foreign Minister Saidov reaffirmed support for the Korean government’s Audacious Initiative.

After the strategic dialogue, the two sides signed the outcome document of the strategic dialogue, in which they committed to strengthen mutually-beneficial cooperation between the two countries in a wide range of areas, including political affairs, economic security and supply chains, defense and security, health, green economy, environment, smart city, cooperation between provincial governments, tourism, and culture. The two sides also agreed to hold the strategic dialogue alternately in the two countries.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Park attended the Korea-Uzbekistan business forum on September 12, where he listened to the current state of economic cooperation and offer words of encouragement to entrepreneurs through a congratulatory speech.