1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) among the five MIKTA countries -- the Republic of Korea, the United Mexican States, the Republic of Indonesia, the Republic of Turkey, and the Commonwealth of Australia -- in the form of videoconference at 1:00 pm, April 16, Korea Standard Time, with Deputy Minister for Multilateral and Global Affairs Ham Sang-wook as its chair.

° The SOM, held at the proposal of the ROK side, the chair of MIKTA for 2020, was joined by senior officials of the member states of MIKTA.

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2. The SOM participants shared their respective countries’ experiences in responding to COVID-19 amid its global spread and discussed ways to step up cooperation among the MIKTA member states in the areas of health and disease control.

° The ROK side explained the progress in the ROK’s response to COVID-19 based on its high-level diagnostic testing capacity and pointed out the need to consider allowing cross-border travel of medical personnel and business people in order to minimize disruptions to global economy.

° The ROK side added that as the chair of MIKTA for 2020, it will continue MIKTA discussions on health agenda, while playing a leading role in building the network among the health authorities of the MIKTA countries.

° The SOM participants, recognizing the benefits of communication and cooperation among the five MIKTA countries, which are located in diverse regions, agreed to continue follow-up consultations in order to promote cooperation in the area of health.

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3. The SOM, which took place as part of the ongoing efforts of the ROK government to strengthen communication and cooperation with major countries in a bid to effectively respond to COVID-19, is seen to have provided an opportunity to further bolster the momentum of health cooperation among the five MIKTA countries.

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° The SOM participants highly commended the ROK for playing a pivotal role over the COVID-19 pandemic as the chair of MIKTA, including by leading the adoption of MIKTA Foreign Ministers’ Joint Statement on the COVID-19 Pandemic and Global Health on April 9 and setting up an opportunity for a discussion among MIKTA senior officials.