1. On the occasion of the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha had a bilateral meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia Saifuddin Abdullah on September 24. During the meeting, the two Ministers discussed the forthcoming ASEAN-Republic of KOREA (ROK) Commemorative Summit, key matters of mutual interest between the two countries, and the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

2. The two Ministers agreed to work closely together to hold a successful ASEAN-Republic of KOREA Commemorative Summit in Busan in November and shared the progress in the preparations for the event.

° Minister Kang mentioned that the ROK is making government-wide efforts to hold a successful Commemorative Summit, as could be seen from the ROK President’s visit to the ASEAN Culture House in Busan on September 14 and the Foreign Minister’s own inspection on September 21 of the Summit venue and the accommodations for the participants.

° Minister Saifuddin, extending appreciation to the ROK government for its meticulous preparations, mentioned that Malaysia, on its part, will cooperate actively for the success of the ASEAN-Republic of KOREA Commemorative Summit.

° In particular, the two Ministers agreed to make strong efforts for the currently ongoing negotiations on an ROK-Malaysia FTA to be concluded on the occasion of the Commemorative Summit. They expressed hope that by doing so, the two countries will lay another strong institutional framework for boosting bilateral trade and investment.
 

3. Minister Kang explained the recent developments on the Korean Peninsula. Minister Saifuddin expressed the willingness of Malaysia to continue support for the peace process on the Korean Peninsula.