1. Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang, Kyung-wha had a telephone conversation with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic Chingiz Aidarbekov on the afternoon of September 26 and exchanged views on COVID-19 response and the way forward for the Republic of Korea-Kyrgyz Republic relations.

2. The two Ministers agreed to step up cooperation in order to improve the COVID-19 situations in the ROK and Kyrgyzstan and thereby normalize bilateral exchanges. Minister Aidarbekov extended special appreciation to the ROK government for rendering various forms of assistance to Kyrgyzstan, including humanitarian assistance to help overcome COVID-19 and the project to build election capability.

3. Minister Kang asked for support for Minister for Trade Yoo Myung-hee, who had advanced to the second round of the selection process for the next Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Minister Aidarbekov mentioned that, for highly trade-dependent Kyrgyzstan, it is important for a competent WTO Director-General to be selected, and spoke highly of Minister Yoo’s experiences and expertise in the area of trade.

4. The two Ministers agreed to further bolster substantive cooperation through various cooperative channels, including the Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum, and to work closely together in responding to COVID-19.