1. The 5th ROK-Australia High-level Consultation on Development Cooperation took place in Seoul on March 7, 2019.

° The head delegates to the meeting from the Republic of Korea and the Commonwealth of Australia were Director-General for Development Cooperation at the ROK Ministry of Foreign Affairs Oh Hyun-joo, and First Assistant Secretary of the North Asia Division Graham Fletcher and First Assistant Secretary of the Multilateral Development and Finance Division Chris Tinning of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

2. The two sides discussed ways to work together on infrastructure facilities in Southeast Asia in a follow-up to what the two countries discussed at the bilateral summit talks held in November 2018 on the occasion of the APEC summit -- seeking synergistic effects between the ROK government’s “New Southern Policy” and the Australian government’s “Indo-Pacific strategy.”

3. The two sides also exchanged a wide range of views on matters of concern, including ways to implement the sustainable development goals (SDGs), which are the shared development goals of the international community; humanitarian assistance policies; and ways to invigorate partnership with the private sector and civil society. They agreed to further step up cooperation between the two countries.

4. The ROK and Australia have been bolstering cooperation on the international stage, including as members of MIKTA, a consultative mechanism among middle power countries. The 5th ROK-Australia Consultation is seen to have helped to further step up such cooperation between the two countries.

* unofficial translation