1. The 13^th Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum took place in Seoul on November 25, attended by Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang, Kyung-wha and the foreign ministers of the Central Asian countries.

° The 3^rd Forum held at the ministerial level since its launch in 2007 was attended in person by Minister Kang and the foreign ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Republic of Tajikistan, and the Republic of Kazakhstan as well as a vice minister of the Kyrgyz Republic, while the foreign minister of Turkmenistan joined them virtually.

2. In their keynote speeches at the opening ceremony, the head delegates of the Republic of Korea and the five Central Asian countries noted with appreciation that, even amid the COVID-19 situation, the ROK and Central Asia have made efforts to strengthen substantive cooperation through virtual and face-to-face high-level exchanges and to respond jointly to COVID-19, and shared the view on the need to further step up and advance ROK-Central Asia cooperation mainly through the Forum.

° Minister Kang noted that, with this year marking “the year of new northern cooperation,” the ROK government is doing its best to reinforce cooperation with the Central Asian countries, the main partners for the ROK’s New Northern Policy, and that the ROK and Central Asia have been overcoming the COVID-19 crisis together through solidarity and cooperation, including the operation of temporary flights and sharing quarantine equipment and experiences, even amid the COVID-19 situation.

° Minister Kang particularly stressed that while continuing non-face-to-face exchanges due to difficulties in carrying out in-person exchanges, the ROK and the five Central Asian countries have steadily implemented the follow-up on the visits to the five Central Asian countries in 2019 by President Moon Jae-in and then Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon.

° In their keynote speeches, the head delegates of the five Central Asian countries expressed firm support for the ROK’s New Northern Policy, adding that the ROK’s response to COVID-19 is highly commended across the world. In particular, they voiced hope that the ROK and Central Asian countries would draw up specific ways for cooperation in overcoming COVID-19 together through discussions on the Forum’s topics -- public healthcare, remote education, quarantine standardization, and response to climate change.

° The head delegates of the ROK and the Central Asian countries took note that the 13^th Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum was prepared for more thoroughly than any other past forum by holding working-level meetings on each of the four topics, the five vice minister-level preparatory meetings, and a vice minister-level High Level Officials’ Meeting among the ROK and the five Central Asian countries. They also noted that the Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum Secretariat, launched in 2017, is contributing to the faithful implementation of the follow-up projects in the areas of standardization and water resources, which had been discussed at the 12^th Forum in 2019, and to the promotion of Central Asian culture to Koreans through online film festivals and fashion shows.

° The head delegates noted with appreciation that the Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum has become a constructive multilateral consultative channel for discussions on ways to expand cooperation between the ROK and Central Asia, and agreed to upgrade the Forum to the foreign ministerial level and to hold the event in the ROK and the Central Asian countries on a rotational basis through which the ROK-Central Asia cooperation can take a big step forward.

3. The two sides also held separate virtual meetings on the four topics, -- public healthcare, remote education, quarantine standardization, and response to climate change -- during which they shared their respective countries’ experiences in responding to COVID-19 and had in-depth discussions on ways to overcome the COVID-19 crisis together.

° Each session brought together experts at relevant organizations, including the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, Korea Educational Broadcasting System (EBS) and the Global Green Growth Institute of the ROK, who delivered presentations and had discussions with Central Asian experts.

4. At the closing ceremony, the head delegates wrapped up the 13th Forum by adopting “a Joint Statement on the Outcome of the 13^th Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum” summarizing the achievements and the results of the discussions at the Forum as well as “the 2021 Work Plan of the Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum Secretariat.”

5. The foreign ministers of the Central Asian countries attended the 13^th Forum despite the COVID-19 situation and stated their commitment to enhancing new northern cooperation between the ROK and Central Asia and agreed to hold the Forum regularly at the foreign ministerial level. Thus, the 13^th Forum is seen to have served as an opportunity to take the ROK-Central Asia relations to a higher level.

6. On November 26, the day after the Forum, “the 1^st annual meeting of the Korea-Central Asia Business Council” will be held. As the first event of the Korea-Central Asia Business Council launched in June, the meeting will cover successful cases of Korea-Central Asia economic cooperation and ways to promote exchanges between business people of the two regions.

° The ROK-Central Asia Business Council, launched on June 29, is the first multilateral business consultative platform between the two regions, which is participated by the Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum Secretariat, the Korea International Trade Association, and the chambers of commerce of the five Central Asian countries.