President Lee Calls for 30 Years of Cooperation with Central Asia

President Lee Jae-myung stated that South Korea and Central Asia should prepare for the next 30 years based on the cooperation established over the past three decades.

During his opening remarks at the first Korea-Central Asia Summit held at a hotel in Seoul, President Lee noted, "It is a significant day as the leaders of South Korea and the five Central Asian countries gather in one place for the first time."

All five Central Asian leaders from Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan attended the summit, marking the first multilateral meeting between South Korea and Central Asian nations.

President Lee identified supply chains, energy, markets, and technology as key areas for cooperation during the summit.

He emphasized, "Today’s world is experiencing a major transformation where economics and security are closely interconnected across supply chains, energy, markets, and technology. The 'Silk Road spirit' of Central Asia, which connected the people, technology, and cultures of the East and West, is more essential than ever."

He specifically mentioned the Korean diaspora in Central Asia as a symbol of the historical ties between the regions. "Over 90 years ago, our Korean compatriots settled in Central Asia, serving as a strong bridge connecting Korea and Central Asia," he said. "Based on this long historical relationship, South Korea and the five Central Asian countries have built a broad partnership of trust across trade, investment, industry, infrastructure, education, and culture."

President Lee also highlighted the need for complementary cooperation, stating, "The strengths of South Korea and Central Asia present infinite opportunities to solve our respective challenges together."

He proposed that existing bilateral cooperation should evolve into regional cooperation encompassing all of Central Asia. "I am confident that when our cooperation expands beyond individual countries to a regional level, we can accelerate our shared future of prosperity," he said, expressing hope that their meeting would serve as an important milestone for a new leap forward.

Additionally, this summit elevated the Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum, which was launched in 2007, to a high-level dialogue platform. The government aims to pursue tailored bilateral cooperation with each country in areas such as critical minerals, energy, and transportation infrastructure, while also expanding regional cooperation in fields like logistics, climate change, AI, digital technology, and talent development, where collective efforts yield greater results.