1. MIKTA, a consultative mechanism among the middle power countries of Mexico, Indonesia, (the Republic of) Korea, Turkey and Australia, held its eleventh foreign ministerial meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, the MIKTA chair for 2017, on December 13.

° The head delegates to the meeting from the MIKTA countries were Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun of the ROK; Deputy Foreign Minister Ahmet Yildiz of Turkey; Director General for Multilateral Affairs Febrian Ruddyard of the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Abraham Zamora, special advisor to the Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs; and deputy foreign minister Caroline Millar of Australia.

※ MIKTA, a consultative mechanism among the middle power countries of Mexico, Indonesia, Korea, Turkey and Australia launched during the UN General Assembly session in September 2013, seeks to increase contribution to the international community.

- The MIKTA countries are members of the G20 that belong to neither the G7 nor BRICS. Their gross domestic products (GDPs) rank between the world’s 11th and 17th.

2. The officials noted with appreciation that during the service of Turkey as the MIKTA chair in 2017, the member states of MIKTA had articulated their shared position on such major global issues as the North Korean nuclear program, conflict prevention, and rights of women and the challenged; and are expanding cooperation among their parliaments, businesses, academias, media outlets and students.

3. The participants exchanged views on regional and global issues that have lately been drawing keen attention. Among the issues were those concerning North Korea, the current situations in the Middle East and Venezuela, immigration and refugees, and terrorism.

° In particular, with regard to North Korea’s recent launch of a long-range ballistic missile, the officials, united in calling repeated provocations by the North a grave threat to peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and beyond, urged the North to immediately halt its nuclear and missile development, to comply with Security Council resolutions and other relevant UN regulations, and rejoin denuclearization talks.

° With respect to the Israel-Palestine conflict and other current issues in the Middle East, the participants drew a common understanding that peace and stability in the Middle East is important for the entire international community and that key issues in the region should be resolved in a peaceful manner.

4. Indonesia, the MIKTA chair for 2018, shared with the other MIKTA members MIKTA’s work plan and priorities in 2018, with the other members expressing expectations and support in that regard.

° According to Indonesia, MIKTA’s thee priority areas of cooperation in 2018 are terrorism, peacekeeping operations and creative economic activities.

5. The officials hailed the adoption of the joint communiqué of the eleventh MIKTA foreign ministerial meeting and MIKTA cooperation guidelines; and agreed to articulate MIKTA’s position more clearly on major global agenda items and boost projects that can bring tangible benefits to the MIKTA countries, including the MIKTA Young Leaders’ Camp, the MIKTA innovation group project, and the MIKTA diplomat exchange project.

※ The joint communiqué of the eleventh MIKTA foreign ministerial meeting includes a review of MIKTA’s key activities in 2017 and the body’s position on major regional and global issues.

- With regard to North Korean issues, in the document, the MIKTA members strongly condemned the series of North Korean provocations, including the recent launch of a long-range missile and the sixth nuclear test.

※ The MIKTA innovation group project is designed to enhance the connectivity among business founders of the MIKTA countries. In addition, in order to render support to its youth starting businesses in any of the MIKTA countries, each MIKTA member state is to select an innovation leader, who will spearhead the efforts to link the start-up hubs of the MIKTA countries.


* unofficial translation