1. During his visit to New York to attend the 69th session of the UN General Assembly, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se met with his Iraqi counterpart Ibrahim al-Jaafari on September 26.

2. The two Ministers took note of the advances in cooperation between their two countries in various sectors since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1989. They agreed to further step up cooperation in such economic fields as energy, reconstruction and trade, and broaden the scope of cooperation beyond them.

3. Minister Yun extended congratulations to Minister al-Jaafari on his inauguration as such and welcomed the recent launch of the new unity government in Iraq. He voiced his hope that the Iraqi government, led by new Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi, will unite the Iraqi people and successfully meet the challenges posed by the Islamic State and the Levant (ISIL). He also conveyed the willingness of the ROK government to render support to the extent possible in that regard.

◦ In particular, Minister Yun spoke of the ROK’s plan to offer humanitarian assistance worth four million US dollars, in addition to the previously donated 1.2 million US dollars, to help overcome the crisis in Iraq.

4. Minister Yun asked the Iraqi government to pay particular attention to the safety of the ROK nationals staying in the country. Minister al-Jaafari responded that efforts will be made to ensure their safety as if they were Iraqis. 


                     Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFA

* unofficial translation