1. On the occasion of the 73^rd session of the United Nations General Assembly, Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha met bilaterally with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs on September 28. In the meeting, the two sides discussed the Republic of Korea-Republic of Latvia relations, the situation on the Korean Peninsula and cooperation on the international stage.

2. Minister Kang noted with appreciation that the ROK and Latvia have been seeing progress in substantive cooperation, an area discussed in the bilateral summit talks and foreign ministerial meeting held in Seoul in February; and expressed hope that the two countries will move their bilateral relations forward through robust people-to-people exchanges and increased substantive cooperation.

3. Minister Rinkēvičs noted that the visits to the ROK by President Raimonds Vējonis and other ranking Latvian officials during the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in 2018 had served as an opportunity to advance bilateral relations; and voiced hope for a further growth in high-level exchanges between the two countries.

4. The two Ministers, both recognizing the great potential for ROK-Latvia cooperation in their strong fields, such as information and communications technology (ICT) and innovation, agreed to boost exchanges between enterprises and put in high gear cooperative channels between the governments of the two countries in a bid to promote cooperation. 

° The two sides also agreed to continue stepping up cooperation at international organizations, including the UN.

5. Minister Kang explained the current situation on the Korean Peninsula, including the outcome of the third inter-Korean summit. Minister Rinkēvičs, taking note of the positive changes being made in inter-Korean relations and toward denuclearization in 2018, stated that Latvia will remain supportive of the efforts toward the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

6. On the heels of the foreign ministerial meeting, the signing ceremony for "the Air Services Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Korea and the Government of the Republic of Latvia" was held, paving the way for an increase in people-to-people and materials exchanges.

° Direct flights between the ROK and Latvia, when launched pursuant to the bilateral Air Services Agreement, are expected to promote convenience of ROK nationals and to help the ROK further enhance its standing as a hub in Northeast Asia.

* unofficial translation