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Central Asian nations meet in Seoul
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December 02, 2009
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An annual forum between Korea and five Central Asian nations will take place in Seoul today in Seoul. Participants will discuss economic and energy cooperation.
The third Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum will be cohosted by the Foreign Ministry, Knowledge Economy Ministry and the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy. Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan will send vice-ministerial level officials to the event.
According to the Foreign Ministry, the multilateral forum is designed to solidify Korea’s economic, cultural, educational and public health ties to the countries. The forum will also serve as an opportunity for the corporate world and academia to network with their Central Asian counterparts.
A high-ranking ministry official privy to the forum’s history said the five nations are important cooperation partners for Korea in the field of energy development. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan already have major development deals with Korean companies. The Central Asian nations hope to reduce their heavy reliance on natural resources and diversify their industries. They look to Korea “as a role model” in that regard, said the official. “Korea has overcome political difficulties to strengthen the economic and industrial systems, and the five nations want to learn from us,” the official said. “They also want to pick our brains on renewable energy, human resources development and medicine.”
By Yoo Jee-ho [jeeho@joongang.co.kr]
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