1. The Foreign Ministers of the five MIKTA countries -- the Republic of Korea, the United Mexican States, the Republic of Indonesia, the Republic of Turkey, and the Commonwealth of Australia -- announced the Joint Statement on the COVID-19 Pandemic and Global Health on April 9.

2. In the Joint Statement adopted at the proposal of the ROK, the chair of MIKTA for this year, the Foreign Ministers of the MIKTA countries expressed solidarity as a group to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic as well as their commitment to joining the global policy coordination.

o In particular, at the proposal of the ROK, the Foreign Ministers stated in the Statement that they will work together with the international community to coordinate responses in ways that avoid unnecessary interference with international traffic and trade, and that they will take into consideration the need to facilitate the movement of people and goods for humanitarian, scientific and essential business activities to the extent that each country’s disease control efforts may not be undermined.

o In the Statement, the Foreign Ministers also noted that openness, transparency, and democracy, which the ROK government has stressed from the early stages of dealing with COVID-19, are key factors in bringing people on board with measures designed to protect themselves and the wider population.

3. The Joint Statement has been adopted as part of the ROK government’s ongoing efforts to strengthen communication and cooperation to respond to COVID-19 through a series of consultations with major countries. The adoption of the Statement served as an opportunity to express solidarity among the MIKTA members in overcoming the global health crisis and to affirm their will to cooperate in the health sector.

o So far, the ROK government has continued robust communication with the MIKTA members -- Mexico, Indonesia, Turkey, and Australia.

o As a follow-up to the Statement, the MIKTA countries will hold a video conference among the MIKTA senior officials on April 16, during which they will share respective countries’ experiences in responding to COVID-19 and discuss ways of cooperation among the five countries in the area of health.