1. The Foreign Ministry’s Director-General for European Affairs Park Chul-min and Deputy Foreign Minister David Jalagania of Georgia held the fourth policy consultation between the Republic of Korea and Georgia in Seoul on December 18. In the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on the bilateral relations; sectorial cooperation, including in trade and investment as well as energy and construction; the situations on the Korean Peninsula as well as in Northeast Asia and other regions; and ways to work together on the international stage.

2. The two sides noted with appreciation the steady advances in the friendship and cooperation between the two countries since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1992. In particular, the two sides deeply welcomed the formal opening of the Tbilisi office of the Embassy of the ROK in Georgia on December 15, which came after the establishment of the Georgian Embassy in the ROK in 2011. They voiced their expectation that the establishment of the permanent diplomatic missions will help further increase bilateral exchanges and cooperation.

3. With regard to sectorial cooperation, the two sides agreed to continuously boost trade and investment, while making continued efforts to broaden the scope of cooperation to include energy and transportation infrastructure, cultural exchange and cooperation, and various other areas.

◦ Director-General Park took note of the groundbreaking ceremony held in September for the Nenskra Hydropower Plant Project, which is co-conducted by Korea Water Resources Corporation (K-Water) and the Georgian government. He asked for the Georgian government’s continued attention to and cooperation for this largest economic cooperation project between the two countries to be completed in a smooth manner.

- The Director-General voiced hope for increased presence of Korean companies, which have high technology and capacity in the transportation infrastructure field, in various relevant state-funded projects in Georgia, a transportation and logistics hub connecting Europe, Asia and the Caucasus.

◦ In response, Deputy Minister Jalagania, underscoring the importance of the development of logistics and transport, spoke of Georgia’s efforts to improve its investment environment for foreign enterprises and conveyed hope for increased investment of Korean companies in Georgia in the future.

◦ Director-General Park highlighted the importance of continuously bolstering the legal and institutional bases in order to broaden the scope of substantive cooperation. In that light, he noted with appreciation the memoranda of understanding for environment cooperation, on tourism, and on information and communications that were concluded in 2015, expressing hope for an early conclusion of an agreement for the avoidance of double taxation and an investment guarantee agreement. Deputy Minister Jalagania, mentioning that he shares the Director-General’s expectation, voiced hope for an early conclusion of a bilateral agreement for economic cooperation and the launch of a joint economic committee.

◦ Director-General Park, taking note of the ongoing two-way cultural exchanges since the conclusion of the bilateral agreement for cultural cooperation in 2014, asked for attention to and support for efforts to promote Korean studies in Georgia. Deputy Minister Jalagania, sharing the need to step up cultural exchanges for better mutual understanding, conveyed hope for increased people-to-people exchanges under the MOU on tourism.

4. Director-General Park explained the current situations on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia, particularly asking the Georgian government to continue close collaboration with the ROK on North Korean issues. Deputy Minister Jalagania spoke about the situation in the South Caucasus surrounding Georgia. The two sides exchanged views on ways to work more closely together on international stages, including the UN.

5. The fourth ROK-Georgia policy consultation, held a year after the third in 2014, is seen to have helped make the event a regular one. It is also seen to have served as a significant opportunity to seek ways to broaden the legal and institutional bases for expanding the scope of substantive cooperation between the two countries and ways to work together on the construction of energy and transportation infrastructure.


* unofficial translation