1. Director-General for European Affairs Kim Pil-woo held “the 5th director-general-level consultation between Korea and the three Baltic states” in a virtual format from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm, December 8, and had an in-depth discussion with directors-general for Asian affairs of the three Baltic states -- Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia -- on the relations between Korea and the three Baltic states, response to COVID-19 and international health cooperation, and the situations on the Korean Peninsula as well as in Northeast Asia and Europe.

2. The two sides noted with appreciation that the relations between Korea and the three Baltic states have advanced steadily across the board, including political affairs, economy, culture and people-to-people exchanges, on the basis of their common features, such as geopolitical locations and outstanding human resources; and agreed to expand cooperation in high-tech fields, including bio engineering, digital technology, and information and communication technology in which the two sides have strength, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2021.

3. The two sides, taking note of the close cooperation between Korea and the three Baltic states on response to COVID-19, agreed to make efforts to reinforce the global health cooperation system, which has become more important due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

4. The two sides exchanged views on the situations on the Korean Peninsula as well as in Northeast Asia and Europe. Director-General Kim explained the current situation on the Korean Peninsula and asked the three Baltic states to continue supporting the Korean government’s policy toward North Korea for the establishment of permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula.

5. The director-general-level consultation between Korea and the three Baltic states, held on an annual basis since the first meeting in 2016, is establishing itself as a regular consultative mechanism that, along with the bilateral Joint Economic Committee, serves as a base of cooperation in the areas of foreign affairs and security as well as economy, science and technology.