1. Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang, Kyung-wha spoke over the phone with Mr. Ayman Hussein Al Safadi, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, on the evening of September 28, and discussed COVID-19 response and ways to cooperate on the global stage, including the selection of the new Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

2. The two Ministers, noting that the two countries are facing a new challenge of a recent surge in COVID-19 infections, agreed on the need to overcome the difficulties together through close cooperation in disease prevention and control.

o In addition, the two Ministers agreed on the importance of securing sufficient COVID-19 vaccines and ensuring their equitable distribution, and agreed to continue participating actively in the international community’s efforts to do so.

3. Minister Kang stressed that Minister for Trade Yoo Myung-hee who has advanced to the second round of the selection process for the next WTO Director-General is an expert with extensive experience in trade with countries ranging from developing to developed countries, and asked for Jordan’s support. Minister Safadi actively commended Minister Yoo’s outstanding capacity.

4. Furthermore, the two Ministers exchanged views on the situation in the Middle East, including the normalization of the UAE-Israel and Bahrain-Israel relations, and agreed to continue close communication to make progress in substantive cooperation in a range of areas.