1. Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Kim Gunn attended the 20th Meeting of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Council of Ministers held in a virtual format on the evening of December 17, Korea Standard Time, during which he discussed with other participants ways for cooperation for sustainable growth and balanced development of the Indian Ocean Rim region and relayed Korea’s will to cooperate for peace and prosperity of the region.

° In the Council of Ministers Meeting, IORA Member States and Dialogue Partners commended IORA’s pivotal role in facilitating multilateral dialogue and cooperation in the Indian Ocean Rim region and agreed to continue exploring ways to work together in addressing challenges of the region, such as climate change, blue economy, and maritime security.

2. Deputy Minister Kim voiced hope that Indian Ocean Rim countries would take the Council of Ministers Meeting as an opportunity to gather wisdom for expediting peace and prosperity through joint response to various challenges in the region, adding that Korea will work closely with the IORA Member States and Dialogue Partners in the process.

° In particular, he mentioned that solidarity and collaboration of the international community is necessary for overcoming the unprecedented pandemic of the infectious disease and addressing environmental changes caused by the pandemic.

3. Director-General for Asian and Pacific Affairs Kim Jung-han attended the 22nd Meeting of the IORA Committee of Senior Officials, which was held in a virtual format on December 16, the day before the Council of Ministers Meeting, and shared the Korean government’s efforts to reinforce cooperation with the Indian Ocean Rim countries.

° Deputy Minister Kim particularly took note that the 1st ROK-IORA Partnership Seminar, hosted by the Korean government on October 29, had served as a significant opportunity to build momentum for advancing cooperative relations between Korea and IORA; and expressed hope that the Seminar would develop into a platform for seeking out promising cooperation projects between Korea and the Indian Ocean Rim region.

4. The Meeting of the IORA Council of Ministers and the Meeting of the IORA Committee of Senior Officials are seen to have served as opportunities to have fruitful discussions, during which the international community shared diverse views on maintaining the momentum of cooperation in the Indian Ocean region amid the ongoing COVID-19 situation and sought to promote cross-border cooperation for sustainable peace and prosperity in the Indian Ocean Rim region.