South Korea and five Central Asian countries have agreed to hold a summit every two years and establish a permanent implementation system through ministerial and deputy ministerial forums. A long-term cooperation blueprint covering critical minerals, energy supply chains, artificial intelligence (AI), digital technology, infrastructure, climate, water resources, and human exchanges was also developed.
President Lee Jae-myung, along with the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, adopted the 'Seoul Declaration' during the first Korea-Central Asia Summit held in Seoul on September 16. The leaders included Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kyrgyzstan's President Sadyr Japarov, Tajikistan's President Emomali Rahmon, Turkmenistan's President Serdar Berdymukhamedov, and Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
This summit marks the first multilateral meeting between South Korea and the five Central Asian nations. It elevates the Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum, which has been operating at the foreign minister level since its inception in 2007, to a summit level. The core of the declaration is to enhance the status of cooperation and establish a framework to avoid one-off diplomatic engagements.
According to the declaration, the leaders agreed to hold summits every two years, with the second summit scheduled for 2028 in Astana, Kazakhstan. In years without a summit, a foreign minister-level Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum will be held to review the implementation of existing agreements and prepare the agenda for the next summit. Additionally, a senior officials meeting (SOM) at the deputy minister level will be utilized to identify specific projects and support discussions.
In the economic sector, the focus is on combining Central Asia's abundant resources and growth demands with South Korea's manufacturing and advanced technology capabilities. The leaders agreed to establish a ministerial council for industry and sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on industrial and supply chain cooperation, as well as to promote trade diversification, eliminate non-tariff barriers, and encourage investment.
The declaration also includes plans to establish 'Korean Desks' within the governments of Central Asian countries to support South Korean businesses. In the critical minerals sector, a joint value-added production network will be built encompassing exploration, processing, industrial localization, scientific and technological cooperation, and workforce training. Energy cooperation, including oil, gas, petrochemicals, hydropower, renewable energy, and modernization of energy infrastructure, was also highlighted as a key agenda item.
In urban development, transportation infrastructure, logistics hubs, and smart mobility, the leaders agreed to support the participation of South Korean companies in construction, modernization, operation, and management.
The declaration also addresses not only economic cooperation but also peace and security collaboration on the Korean Peninsula. The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of lasting peace, while strengthening cooperation to combat terrorism, drug trafficking, cyber threats, transnational crime, and illegal migration. Plans for supporting ethnic Koreans, commemorative projects, youth, student, and academic exchanges, as well as expanding Korean language and cultural education, were also included.
Following the summit, the Korea-Central Asia Business Summit discussed ways to materialize the economic cooperation tasks outlined in the declaration through private investment and joint ventures. Government and business representatives from each country attended to explore cooperation opportunities in critical minerals, energy supply chains, transportation, urban infrastructure, and AI and digital transformation.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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