1. Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Choi Jong Kun visited Senegal, a key cooperation partner in West Africa, from August 17 to 18. He paid a courtesy call on President H.E. Macky Sall and had meetings with Minister of Economic Planning and Cooperation Amadou Hott and Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Mame Baba Cisse.

2. During the courtesy call on President Sall, Vice Minister Choi noted that the two countries have built deep trust based on the common ground of simultaneously achieving democracy and economic development. As next year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, the two sides agreed to strengthen substantive cooperation in a wide range of fields such as health, development, economy, the defense industry and cooperation in the international stage.

° President Sall praised the Korean government's response to COVID-19 and its efforts to become a global hub for vaccine production and asked Korea to make special efforts to ensure fair access to vaccines. In response, Vice Minister Choi suggested that both countries prepare for the post-COVID-19 era together based on COVID-19-related cooperation.

° Vice Minister Choi said that Senegal is one of Korea’s ODA priority partner countries, adding that Korea has contributed to Senegal's economic development through projects such as the National Oncology Center* project and the Maritime Infrastructure Establishment Project (MIEP)**. President Sall expressed his expectation that these projects would play a positive role in expanding cooperation between the two countries.

* Senegal’s first hospital to specialize in cancer treatment with modern cancer diagnostic equipment (85.5 million USD)

** A transport project to connect Dakar, Senegal’s capital, and Casamance, the country’s southern part, which are separated by the Gambia River (1st phase:  48.79 million USD, 2nd phase: 88.19 million USD)

° Both sides agreed that Korean fishery companies in Senegal have been contributing to economic development and job creation in Senegal, and Vice Minister Choi asked for President Sall's attention and support in resolving difficulties faced by Korean companies for smooth business operations in Senegal.

° As Vice Minister Choi touched upon the fact that Senegal is the first country in Africa to operate "KA-1Ss," Korea’s trainer jets, President Sall mentioned that cooperation in the defense industry sector would expand further to contribute to enhancing response to instability in West Africa including the Sahel region.

° Vice Minister Choi requested Senegal’s participation in the Korea-Africa Forum and the 2021 UN Peacekeeping Ministerial to be held in Korea this December, and President Sall said that as next year’s chair of the African Union (AU), he would pay attention not only to expanding bilateral cooperation with Korea but also to enhancing cooperation between Korea and Africa.

3. During the meeting with Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Cisse, the two sides discussed ways to promote substantive cooperation in areas such as political affairs, including economy and development cooperation, and exchanged views on the regional situation in West Africa.

4. In addition, Vice Minister Choi met with Minister of Economic Planning and Cooperation Hott, during which he asked for the Senegalese government’s attention to and support in resolving difficulties faced by Korean companies in Senegal to ultimately expand economic cooperation between the two countries. The two sides also discussed ways to expand economic and development cooperation in the future.

5. Vice Minister Choi also visited S.C.A SA, the largest tuna cannery in Africa invested in by a Korean company, learned about business activities and difficulties faced by Korean fishery companies, and explained to Korean business leaders that he asked for the Senegalese government’s cooperation to ensure smooth business operations of Korean companies in Senegal.

6. Vice Minister Choi's visit to Senegal came about five years after former Vice Minister Lim Sung-nam's visit in 2016, laying the foundation for strengthening cooperation on the occasion of next year’s 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations with Senegal, a key partner country in West Africa.