외교부

His Excellency Minister 케마이스 지나우이(Khemaies Jhinaoui), my colleague, 

Distinguished delegates from both Tunisia and Korea,

앗-쌀람 알라이쿰! 

It is my great pleasure indeed to meet you this morning. I would like to extend my warmest welcome to all of you who have traveled from afar to join us today. I hope you will have ample opportunity to experience the beauty of Korea to the fullest.

Before the Opening Ceremony, H.E. Minister Jhinaoui and I had an extensive discussion on Korea-Tunisia bilateral relations. We noted with satisfaction that Korea and Tunisia have fostered thriving relations in all fields, including the political, economic, development cooperation and cultural areas, since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1969. But we also concurred that the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relations next year should work as a milestone for further upgrading our bilateral relations. 

It took ten years to make this meeting happen. It shouldn’t take this long. This 10th Korea-Tunisia Joint Committee will generate renewed momentum for thriving, full-fledged ties between the two countries. 

Distinguished Delegates, 

Korea and Tunisia have many things in common. Above all, the two countries have experienced a successful, peaceful democratic transition through the people’s will. 

I had a precious opportunity to visit Tunisia when I was serving as UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights. During that time, I briefly witnessed the ‘Jasmine Revolution’ and the Tunisia’s transition to democracy. The ‘Arab Spring’ began in Tunisia was triggered by the death of a young Tunisian man. This painful but meaningful path to democracy still echoes in my heart.  

My country has also gone through its own long path to achieve democracy through movements driven by the people. And the Moon Jae-in government is the fruit of the ‘Candlelight Revolution.’ This is why Korea well understands the hardships in making a truly people-oriented democracy that Tunisia is pushing forward. 

Distinguished Delegates, 

Another factor our two countries have in common is that we are not abundant with natural resources and we have often been challenged by big regional powers. And yet, we have succeeded in overcoming these challenges by investing heavily in human resources. 

‘Miracle on the Han River,’ a term encapsulating Korea’s miraculous economic growth, was made possible with the endless devotion and sacrifice of the previous generations who placed top priority on their children’s education. 

Despite similar political and economic challenges, Tunisia has also set up a strategic goal of developing human resources, investing much in educating its people. Tunisia’s on-going five year national economic development plan aims to achieve a people-oriented and all-inclusive economic growth. I do believe we will soon witness ‘the Miracle on the Medjerda River(메드제르다 리버)’ very soon.

* 한강에 비견될 수 있는 튀니지의 대표적인 강의 이름 

Based on this common ground as well as the shared values of democracy and open economy, Korea and Tunisia should work together as a role model of mutually beneficial cooperation, which can provide insights to the nations in our regions.

This is why the work of Joint Committee is all the more critical. The foremost mission in today’s meeting will be to take stock of our cooperation in the last ten year and to discuss a strategic, sustainable blueprint for our future cooperation. 

I understand that today’s meeting will focus on greater substance in the fields of infrastructure, development cooperation, education, culture, and governance. Ways to further advance cooperation in the fields of E-procurement and small and medium business will also be discussed, including the signing of the MOUs between relevant government agencies. I do hope these endeavors will help broaden the horizons of our partnership on the journey to a common prosperous future. 

In short, the future of our partnership depends on the constructive engagement by all of you today. So, please make the most of it. 

Thank you. 슈크란 좌질란!