1. Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Yeo Seung Bae visited Tajikistan on November 4-5, and had a bilateral meeting with Deputy Foreign Minister of Tajikistan Farhod Salim on November 4 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan and exchanged views regarding ▲ bilateral relations between Korea and Tajikistan, ▲ cooperation between Korea and Central Asia, and ▲ cooperation on the international stage. 

° The two sides appreciated that Korea and Tajikistan have deepened cooperative relations in a wide range of areas since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1992 and agreed to develop bilateral relations further as the Dushanbe branch office was upgraded to Embassy at the beginning of this year, and next year is the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

※ establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and Tajikistan: 1992.4.27

※ upgrade of the Dushanbe branch office to the Korean Embassy in Tajikistan (2021.3) / establishment of the Embassy of Tajikistan in Korea (2015.4)

- In particular, the two sides discussed various ways for the two countries’ willingness to develop bilateral relations to lead to concrete results through active high-level exchanges in the second half of this year, and agreed to strengthen substantive cooperation including trade between the two countries pursued through consultative channels such as the Commission on Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation. 

※ the 4th Meeting of the Commission on Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation between the Republic of Korea and the Republic of Tajikistan (2021.10, Dushanbe, Tajikistan)

° Regarding development cooperation, Deputy Minister Yeo mentioned the need for cooperation between the two countries to contribute to the development of Tajikistan in the mid- to long-term through public and industrial capability reinforcement projects rather than short-term aid and the two sides agreed to strengthen working-level consultations for formulation of specific cooperation projects. 

* Promotion of cooperation in diverse areas including industrial modernization, medical/health care, education, and ICT

※ Development cooperation between Korea and Tajikistan: ▲ Framework Agreement on Grant Aid (2020.1) ▲Newly selected as an ODA priority partner country (2021.1)

° Meanwhile, ahead of the 14th Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum which is going to be held this year in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, Deputy Minister Yeo stressed "human, nature, and technological development for joint prosperity in Eurasia" as a vision for future cooperation between Korea and Central Asia including Tajikistan and expressed hope that the two countries continue to work together to realize this vision.

2. After the meeting, Deputy Minister Yeo had an interview with a Tajik media outlet and introduced the current status and future direction of bilateral relations as well as the future vision for Korea-Central Asia cooperation to enhance the Tajik people’s interest and understanding about the bilateral relations and the 14th Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum.

3. Meanwhile, on November 5, the second day of his visit, Deputy Minister Yeo co-hosted a high-level meeting with the Deputy Foreign Ministers of 5 Central Asian countries in a hybrid format to check the preparations for the 14th Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum and discuss the future direction of the Forum and issues of the Secretariat of the Forum.

4. Deputy Minister Yeo’s visit to Tajikistan served as an opportunity to strengthen cooperation with Tajikistan, which has had relatively less exchanges with Korea than other partners of the New Northern Policy, and introduce Korea’s New Northern Diplomacy to the people of Tajikistan, while making preparations with the Deputy Foreign Ministers of 5 Central Asian countries to ensure the success of the 14th Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum.