Future directions in strengthening the strategic partnership between Korea and the Middle East in the post-COVID-19 era

1. 「The 17^th Korea-Middle East Cooperation Forum」 took place in Seoul on November 8, co-hosted by the Korea-Arab Society (KAS), the Jeju Peace Institute (JPI), and the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR), a state-run think tank of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

2. The Korea-Middle East Cooperation Forum is a signature track-1.5 forum which has taken place since 2003 with a view to promoting mutual understanding, stepping up substantive cooperation and building human networks between the two sides. The 17^th Forum was held in a hybrid online and offline format.

o The Forum held under the theme “Future directions in strengthening the strategic partnership between Korea and the Middle East in the post-COVID-19 era” consisted of two Sessions: (1) Korea’s relations with a changing Middle East: Challenges, opportunities and the road forward, and (2) Environmental cooperation prospects between Korea and the Middle East.

3. Participants in this Forum included Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Choi Jong Kun, Secretary-General of KAS Ma Young-sam, and President of the JPI Han Intaek.

o Arab ambassadors and representatives to Korea, including H.E. Bader Mohammad Al-Awadi, Ambassador of Kuwait to Korea and the dean of the Arab Diplomatic Corps in Seoul, attended the Forum in person as well.

4. Lana Nusseibeh, UAE Assistant Minister for Political Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and Sultan Mohammed Al-Nuaimi, Director-General of the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research, took part in the Forum virtually.

5. In the opening ceremony, Vice Minister Choi Jong Kun delivered a keynote speech, in which he appreciated the future-oriented development of relations between Korea and the Middle East today in many sectors and presented the direction of Korea’s diplomacy towards the Middle East that Korea will pursue as a responsible member of the international community.

o Particularly, Vice Minister Choi requested that Korea and the Middle East prepare for new standards in the post COVID-19 era by expanding the horizon of cooperation to new fields such as green energy, smart agriculture, and health and medical care.

o In addition, Vice Minister Choi explained that the establishment of peace on the Korean Peninsula is a public good that the whole world can enjoy together, and asked for continued support for the Korean government’s efforts to advance the Korean Peninsula peace process.

6. The Forum served as a good opportunity to build networks with think tanks and experts of the Middle East and thereby help strengthen the ROK-Middle East cooperative relations amid the political changes in the region.