1. Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha will attend the 12^th Republic of Korea (ROK)-Central Asia Cooperation Forum aiming to enhance comprehensive exchanges and cooperation, and to promote friendship between the ROK and Central Asian countries which will take place in Nur-Sultan, the capital of Kazakhstan, on Wednesday, October 16.

○ The upcoming Forum will be upgraded from the previous vice-minister level to the minister level in a bid to maximize the outcomes of President Moon Jae-in’s visit to three Central Asian countries and Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon’s visit to two Central Asian countries this year, and to reinforce and consolidate this Forum’s status as a multilateral consultative mechanism for the implementation of the New Northern Policy.

○ The Forum, hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, will bring together about 100 participants such as foreign ministers, including Minister Kang, relevant officials of government agencies and affiliated organizations, scholars, and entrepreneurs from the ROK and major Central Asian countries.

2. At the Forum, the discussions will cover four major areas such as technical standardization, water resources, information technology (IT) and green energy in order to promote cooperation with Central Asian countries, key cooperative partners of the ROK’s New Northern Policy, in a future-oriented manner.

○ The forthcoming Forum is expected to maximize synergistic effects of cooperation between the ROK and Central Asian countries by seeking substantive ways to implement the follow-up measures agreed upon at President Moon’s visit to three Central Asian countries in April 2019 and Prime Minister Lee’s visit to two Central Asian countries in July this year.

○ During each session, the officials of relevant government agencies and experts of the participating countries will discuss concrete ways for cooperation between the ROK and Central Asian countries in various areas through presentations and free exchange of ideas.

3. Minister Kang will also pay a courtesy call on President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the host country of the Forum; discuss bilateral relations and the situation in the region; and have bilateral meetings with the attending foreign ministers of the Central Asian countries.

4. The 12^th Forum, set to take place at the minister level in Central Asia for the first time since its launch, is expected to enhance substantive cooperation in a mutually beneficial way with five Central Asian countries, the ROK’s key Eurasian partners; and contribute to further accelerating the implementation of the New Northern Policy led by the ROK government.