1. On Wednesday, December 20, Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin held a meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Benin Olushegun Adjadi Bakari, during which the two sides discussed Korea-Benin relations, substantive cooperation, bilateral cooperation on the global stage, and the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

※ Foreign Minister Bakari visited Korea as part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA)’s strategic invitation program for key figures.

2. Foreign Minister Park welcomed Foreign Minister Adjadi Bakari and appreciated the recent active high-level exchanges between the two countries, including the visit to Benin by a Korean Minister of the Office for Government Policy Coordination from November 14 to 15. He went on to express hope that these exchanges would help affirm common interests between the two sides in various fields such as economy and development, and help make progress in bilateral cooperation.

3. Foreign Minister Adjadi Bakari thanked Korea for the invitation and stated that Benin looks forward to strengthening Korea-Benin cooperation. He hoped that his visit will help solidify the foundation for concrete and substantive cooperation between the two countries.

4. The two Foreign Ministers agreed on the necessity to further strengthen bilateral cooperation which has centered on development cooperation, and discussed ways to contribute to Benin’s industrialization and agricultural development through various initiatives such as the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA)’s development cooperation programs, the Knowledge Sharing Program (KSP), and the Korea-Africa Food & Agricultural Cooperation Initiative (KAFACI).     

5. The two sides also decided to explore ways to further enhance bilateral collaboration in addressing global issues and future industries such as those involving climate change and information and communications technology (ICT).

6. Foreign Minister Park wished to see President Talon of Benin at the 2024 Korea-Africa Summit,  which the Korean government will hold next year to build a mutually beneficial, sustainable and long-lasting relationship between Korea and Africa. Foreign Minister Adjadi Bakari relayed President Talon’s will to attend the summit and promised to make utmost efforts in this regard.

7. Regarding the situation on the Korean Peninsula, Foreign Minister Park emphasized the importance of international community’s firm and united response to North Korea’s unprecedented level of provocations of late, including the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on December 18. Foreign Minister Adjadi Bakari stated that Benin fully supports Korea’s commitment to maintaining peace on the Korean Peninsula including in line with the latter’s “Audacious Initiative.”

8. The Korea-Benin Foreign Ministers’ meeting served as an opportunity for Benin to reaffirm its will to take an active part toward the success of the 2024 Korea-Africa Summit as well as for the two countries to strengthen their substantive cooperation and collaboration on the global stage.