1. Mr. Lee Seong-ho, Deputy Minister for Economic Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, had a video conference with Mr. Andrei Dapkiunas, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, on the afternoon of June 26. The two sides discussed response to COVID-19, the follow-up on the 5th meeting of the Republic of Korea-Republic of Belarus Joint Committee on Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation held in Seoul in September 2018, and ways to step up cooperation in the frame of the “New Northern Policy.”

2. Deputy Minister Lee explained the progress in the ROK’s response to COVID-19 and welcomed the fact that the government of Belarus had included the ROK on June 25 among the countries whose nationals are exempt from self-quarantine upon their entry into Belarus. He went on to stress that active efforts and solidarity of the international community are important in preparing for the post-COVID-19 era.

° Deputy Minister Dapkiunas extended appreciation for the smooth progress of discussions between the ROK and Belarus on humanitarian assistance requested by the Belarus government.

3. Deputy Minister Dapkiunas welcomed Belarus’ capacity being enhanced through development cooperation between the two countries and expressed hope that the potential for bilateral cooperation would be fulfilled in such areas as exchanges between businesses, information and communications technology (ICT), medical equipment, the petrochemical industry, agriculture and food.

4. Deputy Minister Lee mentioned that the ROK government is implementing the “New Northern Policy,” which calls for creating engines for future growth and building a northern economic community of peace and prosperity through economic cooperation with northern countries, and that it hopes to work with Belarus to bring shared benefits to the northern region, including Belarus.

° Deputy Minister Dapkiunas noted that the ROK is Belarus’ priority partner for cooperation in Asia, conveyed strong hope to step up cooperation in the frame of the “New Northern Policy,” and suggested that the two countries work more closely together in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

5. The video conference between the two countries’ head delegates to their Joint Committee on Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation, a regular bilateral consultative mechanism, carries significance in that the two sides reviewed the achievements in bilateral cooperation over the past two years since the 5^th meeting of the Joint Committee in 2018 and agreed to explore new areas for cooperation before the 6^th Joint Committee meeting.

° The two sides voiced hope that the COVID-19 situation would stabilize soon and that face-to-face diplomatic activities would resume, and agreed to communicate closely through regularly convened bilateral consultative bodies, among others, in order to produce mutually beneficial results in cooperation not only in economy and trade but also on the international stage.