1. The 5th MIKTA Retreat (14th MIKTA Foreign Ministers’ Meeting) took place in Yogyakarta, the Republic of Indonesia, on February 7 to discuss the way forward for MIKTA, which enters its second cycle. Vice Foreign Minister Lee Tae-ho led a delegation of the Republic of Korea government to the meeting.

o The Retreat was hosted by Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Abdurrahman Mohammad Fachir of Indonesia, the chair of MIKTA for the year 2018, and attended by Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of the United Mexican States Julián Ventura Valero, First Assistant Secretary of the Multilateral Policy Division of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Commonwealth of Australia Justin Lee, and Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey Faruk Kaymakçi.

2. In his opening remarks, Vice Minister Lee Tae-ho took note that for the past five years, MIKTA had firmly established itself as a systematic consultative mechanism among middle-power countries, and stressed the need for middle-power countries, such as the MIKTA members, to work together in responding to global challenges amid the increasingly unstable global security and economic landscapes.

3. At a session on regional and global situations, Vice Minister Lee explained the current situation on the Korean Peninsula to the MIKTA member states, and said that the ROK would continue efforts to establish peace on the Korean Peninsula, asking for cooperation and support from the international community, including the MIKTA members. Other participants took note of the progress in the situation on the Korean Peninsula, and expressed support for the ROK government’s related efforts.

o In addition, the MIKTA members agreed to continue to cooperate in strengthening multilateralism, including the UN; responding to all forms of terrorism and violent extremism, including new terrorist threats; dealing with global refugee and migration issues; and implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

4. After the meeting, the Joint Communiqué of the 5th MIKTA Retreat was adopted. The Joint Communiqué welcomed three inter-Korean summits, took note of the ROK’s efforts to establish peace on the Korean Peninsula, and reaffirmed the member states’ commitment to step up cooperation at MIKTA and harness its potential, including by pursuing substantive cooperation projects and continuing dialogues with consultative mechanisms in other regions.

5. MIKTA is expected to be utilized as a useful diplomatic tool in pursuing diplomatic diversification, one of the ROK government’s key foreign policy goals.

* unofficial translation