1. The Foreign Ministry, together with the European External Action Service (EEAS), will host the third Republic of Korea-European Union International Conference on Middle Eastern and North African Affairs in Seoul on February 14 and 15.

2. At the opening ceremony, Second Vice Foreign Minister Ahn Chong-ghee and the EU’s acting Ambassador to the ROK Joelle Hivonnet will deliver welcoming remarks, followed by keynote speeches by Foreign Minister Mohammed Taher Siala of Libya, President of the Board of Governors Pekka Haavisto of the European Institute of Peace, and former Foreign Minister Reyad Yassin of Yemen.

° The conference will consist of sessions titled “Policy Outlook: A New U.S. Strategy for the Middle East”; “The Post-ISIL Era in Syria and Iraq”; “The Future of Palestinian-Israeli Issue”; “Peace Process in Libya”; “Peace Process in Yemen”; and “Moving Forward? Iran and the Neighbors.”

3. The track-1.5 meeting will feature presentations by 35 Middle East experts and government officials from 20-odd countries, including Assistant Secretary-General Zeihoun of the UN; Director-General for the Middle Eastern Affairs Kiratli of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Director-General for the Neighboring Countries Alkurdi of the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Director-General for East Asia and Oceania Farazandeh of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs; senior fellow at the Brookings Institute Einhorn; Princeton University professor Mousavian; Director Xinchun of the Institute of West Asian and African Studies under the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations; Director-General Al-Suwaidi of the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research; Director Shumilin of the Center for the Analysis of Middle East Conflicts under the Institute for U.S. and Canadian Studies of the Russian Academy of Science; and professors from the ROK. Also among the participants will be some 80 foreign diplomats to the ROK.

4. The ROK government has held the International Conference on an annual basis since 2015 with the EU, its “strategic partner.” On the sidelines of the upcoming conference, the ROK will hold bilateral consultations with the EU, France and Turkey on Middle East policy as well as bilateral director-general-level policy consultations with Iran and Iraq.

5. The forthcoming International Conference on Middle Eastern and North African Affairs is expected to serve as an opportunity to exchange constructive views on the transitional situation in the Middle East, build networks with experts from Middle Eastern countries and demonstrate the ROK’s commitment to contribute to peace and stability in the Middle East.


* unofficial translation