1. Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang, Kyung-wha spoke over the phone with Union Minister for International Cooperation of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar Kyaw Tin on the afternoon of May 15, one day before the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Korea and Myanmar this year. The two sides congratulated each other on the development of the ROK-Myanmar relations for the past 45 years, and discussed the way forward for bilateral relations.
 

2. The two Ministers shared the view that since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1975, the ROK-Myanmar relations have made remarkable progress in various areas and, in particular, the bilateral relations have reached their highest level ever following the two summit meetings last year.

o Minister Kang suggested that, although high-level exchanges between the two countries have been temporarily halted due to COVID-19, the two countries should continue to work together to further deepen and advance bilateral relations on the basis of the accomplishments made so far, as they mark the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations this year.

o Union Minister Kyaw Tin said that Myanmar also extends sincere congratulations on the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, and suggested that as the current crisis can turn into an opportunity, the two countries closely cooperate to make best use of it and thereby further advance the ROK-Myanmar relations.

3. The two Ministers shared the developments regarding the COVID-19 situation in their countries, and noted with appreciation that close cooperation in disease control is underway between the governments and the private sectors of the two countries.

 
o Union Minister Kyaw Tin, saying that the ROK’s model to control COVID-19 is mentioned frequently, highly commended the ROK’s effective response to the virus. In this regard, he expressed appreciation to the ROK, noting that the test kits and other disease control products supported by the ROK have been of great help in Myanmar’s response to COVID-19.

o Minister Kang expressed confidence that the two countries will be able to overcome the COVID-19 crisis together through bilateral cooperation in disease control, and added that the ROK government will do its best to actively pursue cooperation to eradicate COVID-19 with ASEAN countries, including Myanmar.

o In addition, Minister Kang expressed appreciation for the Myanmar government’s active cooperation in the repatriation of Korean nationals in Myanmar amidst the temporary suspension of flights between the two countries, and offered to provide as much convenience as possible to ensure a smooth repatriation of Myanmar nationals in the ROK. Minister Kang went on to suggest that the two countries continue close consultations to allow essential personnel from the ROK, including business people, to travel to Myanmar.

4. The two Ministers agreed to closely work together to bring substantive cooperation projects between the two countries back on track as soon as the COVID-19 situation stabilizes, and said that this will contribute to restoring the economy in the post-COVID-19 era.

 
o Minister Kang offered to make joint efforts to expedite the substantive cooperation projects agreed upon by the leaders of the two countries, including the development of the Korea-Myanmar Industrial Complex and the Dala New Town near Yangon. Union Minister Kyaw Tin shared her view, and offered to actively work together to implement follow-up measures to the bilateral summits last year in order to maintain the momentum for developing bilateral relations created through the summits.

5. Lastly, Minister Kang reaffirmed President Moon Jae-in’s firm commitment to the New Southern Policy, and said that the ROK will continue expanding cooperation with ASEAN countries, including Myanmar.

o Union Minister Kyaw Tin expressed gratitude to the ROK government for deepening cooperation with ASEAN countries through the New Southern Policy. He said that he had read with interest the full text of President Moon’s special address delivered on the 3rd anniversary of his inauguration, and expected that the ROK, building upon its experience of successfully containing COVID-19, will lead international cooperation, with a focus on human security.