1. The five member states of MIKTA -- Korea, Mexico, Indonesia, Turkey and Australia -- held the 10th MIKTA Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) in the form of videoconference on the afternoon of January 20, chaired by Deputy Minister for Multilateral and Global Affairs Ham Sang-wook.

° At the meeting held at the proposal of Korea, which holds the presidency of MIKTA until February 2021, the SOM representatives of the MIKTA member states reviewed MIKTA’s achievements over the past year and discussed the way forward.

2. The SOM representatives of the MIKTA countries noted with appreciation that, despite the difficult situation of COVID-19 in 2020, the five MIKTA countries, led by Korea, have enhanced MIKTA’s standing and role by repeatedly sending the message of international solidarity and cooperation in the face of the global crisis. They agreed to keep up the momentum for MIKTA’s development through close collaboration even after Australia takes over as the MIKTA Chair in February.

° The Korean side mentioned that, as the MIKTA Chair in 2020-2021, Korea held annual events as planned in virtual formats, including the Speakers' Consultation, the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and the SOM, even amid the pandemic. The Korean side added that President Moon Jae-in’s statement on behalf of MIKTA at the high-level meeting to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the United Nations, which was the first-ever MIKTA statement made at the head of state level at the United Nations, further enhanced MIKTA’s standing on the international stage. The Korean side also pointed out that Korea contributed to greatly expanding the areas of cooperation among the MIKTA member states, including by launching dialogue channels in such areas as health, development cooperation, women and families, and academia based on the MIKTA Foreign Ministers’ Joint Statement on COVID-19 Pandemic and Global Health.

° The SOM representatives commended Korea for playing a pivotal role in raising MIKTA’s standing on the international stage and broadening the areas of cooperation in its capacity as MIKTA Chair in 2020-2021. They agreed to maintain the momentum for the development of MIKTA through close communication.

3. The meeting is seen to have served as an opportunity for the SOM  representatives of the MIKTA member states to take stock of MIKTA’s achievements over the past year and to exchange views on the way forward ahead of the handover of MIKTA chairmanship from Australia to Korea on the occasion of the 18th MIKTA Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in February 2021.