1. Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Yoon Soon-gu, together with First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Tleuberdi Mukhtar, held the ninth Republic of Korea-Republic of Kazakhstan Political Consultation and a luncheon at 10:00-14:00, March 6. The two sides took this opportunity to exchange a wide range of views on matters of mutual concern, including the way forward for the bilateral relations; ways to step up substantive bilateral cooperation; the situations on the Korean Peninsula and in Central Asia; and ways to work together on the international stage.

2. The two sides, hailing rapid advances in the ROK-Kazakhstan ties, as could be seen from a record-high trade volume (US$2.16 billion) and number of people-to-people exchanges (some 90,000 people) between the two countries in 2018, agreed to continue holding high-level exchanges in 2019 in order to continue mutually beneficial cooperation in various areas, including political affairs, economy, and people-to-people exchanges.

° Deputy Minister Yoon noted with appreciation that active high-level exchanges, including the two foreign ministerial meetings and the exchange of visits by the parliamentary speakers over the past two years, had helped to bring the two countries closer together; and voiced hope that the two countries would use such opportunities as the Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum to continue high-level exchanges in 2019.

° Deputy Minister Tleuberdi, sharing Deputy Minister Yoon’s view that the bilateral relations were moving stably forward on the back of active high-level exchanges, suggested that the two countries, which mark in 2019 the tenth anniversary of the establishment of strategic partnership, continue holding high-level exchanges.

° The two sides, taking note of rapid advances in the bilateral relations, as could be seen from the more than a two-fold growth in the number of people-to-people exchanges since the conclusion of the bilateral “Agreement on the Mutual Abolition of Visa Requirements” in November 2014, agreed to work closely together to resolve consular issues arising from increasing exchanges between people of the two countries.

3. Deputy Minister Yoon called the policy direction of the Kazakh government’s national development strategies -- “Nurly Zhol (bright path),” “Kazakhstan 2050” and “Digital Kazakhstan” -- similar to that of the ROK government’s “New Northern Policy,” which calls for enhancing connectivity in Eurasia and promoting co-prosperity and friendship among the Eurasian countries. On that note, he expressed hope to see the scope of ROK-Kazakhstan cooperation expand to include transportation, information and communications technology (ICT), small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), education, healthcare, environment, archeology, and various other areas .

° Deputy Minister Yoon voiced hope that as a way to promote connectivity in Eurasia, the two countries would work together in ICT and other areas related to the fourth industrial revolution as well as customs; and that in order to achieve co-prosperity in Eurasia, the two countries would explore the possibility of starting cooperation in such areas as SMEs, healthcare and environment, while continuing cooperation in energy, plant and other high value-added industries. He also proposed that in a bid to promote mutual understanding between and convenience of people of the Eurasian countries, the ROK and Kazakhstan expand legal and institutional foundations and work more closely together in historical and cultural areas, including by conducting joint research on the ancient histories of the two countries.

° Deputy Minister Tleuberdi, welcoming the ROK government’s efforts to step up cooperation with the Eurasian countries through its New Northern Policy, voiced hope for closer cooperation between the ROK and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), where the Kazakh government is taking an active part for Central Asia’s regional economic integration.

4. Deputy Minister Yoon shared with his Kazakh counterpart the situation on the Korean Peninsula and the ROK government’s policy toward the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in the wake of the recent summit between the United States and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea; extended appreciation to Kazakhstan for its consistent support for the ROK government’s efforts to achieve a complete denuclearization and establish a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula; and asked for Kazakhstan’s continued cooperation and support.

° Deputy Minister Tleuberdi, reaffirming support for the ROK government’s endeavor toward peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula, affirmed the willingness of Kazakhstan to share its experience of voluntary denuclearization and thereby contribute to the denuclearization process on the Korean Peninsula.

5. The ninth ROK-Kazakhstan Political Consultation, which was held in the year marking the tenth anniversary of strategic partnership between the two countries, is seen to have served as an opportunity to review the progress in substantive cooperation with Kazakhstan, the ROK’s major partner for its New Northern Policy; and to exchange an extensive range of views on how to advance the bilateral ties in a future-oriented way.

* unofficial translation