1. The first Republic of Korea-United States-Japan consultation on Middle East policy will take place in Washington DC on June 13. The three countries’ head delegates to the meeting will be Director-General for African and Middle Eastern Affairs Kwon Hee-seog of the ROK Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs Anne Patterson of the US Department of State, and Director-General of the Middle Eastern and African Affairs Bureau Tsukasa Uemura of Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

2. At the first ROK-US-Japan vice ministerial meeting in Washington on April 16, 2015, the ROK delegation proposed holding the consultation, and the delegations from the other two countries accepted it. At the forthcoming meeting, the delegations from the three countries will discuss in depth major issues in the Middle East, including those concerning Iran, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Yemen, North Africa, ISIL, Israel and Palestine.

3. The consultation, which will come as part of the ROK-US-Japan trilateral collaboration efforts on global issues, is expected to serve as an opportunity to share with one another information on the Middle East and explore the possibility of cooperation on Middle Eastern issues.


* unofficial translation