1. Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang, Kyung-wha had a bilateral meeting with H.H. Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia, on December 5 on the occasion of the 16th Manama Dialogue (Dec. 4-6, Manama, Bahrain).

2. Foreign Minister Kang congratulated Saudi Arabia on successfully hosting the G20 Summit and agreed on the importance of the equitable and sufficient distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and medicines suggested by Saudi Arabia, which holds the presidency of the G20 this year. In addition, Foreign Minister Kang emphasized the need for vaccine cooperation such as the COVAX Facility, a global vaccine distribution mechanism for development cooperation supporting the developing countries, as well as individual countries’ efforts to secure vaccines.

o Foreign Minister Faisal expressed appreciation saying that Korea has contributed significantly to the success of the G20 Summit, and suggested that the two countries continue to work closely together so that the international community can ensure the equitable distribution of vaccines through the COVAX Facility.

3. Foreign Minister Faisal stressed that cooperation between the two countries needs to be further strengthened in 2021 despite COVID-19, and the two Foreign Ministers agreed to reinforce efforts to expand bilateral cooperation in more areas beyond economic cooperation including energy and infrastructure construction.

o Foreign Minister Kang expressed appreciation to Saudi Arabia for granting Korean business people exceptional entry permits, and asked for Saudi Arabia’s continuous cooperation for Korean business people participating in construction of Saudi Arabia’s infrastructure projects to enter the country without problems.

4. Foreign Minister Faisal said that Saudi Arabia values cooperation with partners such as Korea as well as traditional allies, and noted that Foreign Minister Kang’s visit to the Middle East this time holds great significance.

o In addition, the two Foreign Ministers exchanged views on issues of mutual interest including the situations on the Korean Peninsula and in the Middle East.