Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin Meets with Kazakhstan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Energy (May 31)

1. Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin, who is on an official visit to Kazakhstan from May 30 to June 1 at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Nurtleu Murat Abugaliyevich, met with Minister of Foreign Affairs Nurtleu and Minister of Energy Satkaliev Almassadam Maidanovich on May 31.

2. In their meeting and luncheon, Foreign Minister Park and Deputy Prime Minister Nurtleu had an extensive discussion on the development of bilateral relations, ways to increase substantive cooperation between the two countries, regional and global affairs, and cooperation in the international arena.

3. The two sides appreciated that the Korea-Kazakhstan friendly and cooperative relations have continued to develop for 30 years since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1992 and upgraded bilateral relations to the "Strategic Partnership" in 2009. They also agreed to further advance bilateral relations in a more mutually-beneficial and future-oriented manner for the next 30 years through high-level exchanges at various levels, including between the governments and parliaments.

4. The two sides shared the view that active economic cooperation is underway, with the volume of trade between the two countries hitting an all-time high last year and Korean companies participating in large-scale infrastructure/energy projects. Particularly, Foreign Minister Park suggested further expanding cooperation in nuclear power plants, SMR, critical minerals, energy and infrastructure, and Deputy Prime Minister Nurtleu said that Kazakhstan is ready to provide all resources for Korean companies to start and expand business in the country.

5. Foreign Minister Park strongly condemned North Korea for launching a long-range ballistic missile today under the pretext of a satellite launch, following an unprecedented level of provocations, and stressed that it is a grave violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions as well as a serious provocation that undermines peace in the international community. Furthermore, Foreign Minister Park requested the Kazakh government's continued support for the denuclearization of North Korea and peace on the Korean Peninsula, and Deputy Prime Minister Nurtleu said that North Korea's launch of a long-range ballistic missile is a violation of UN Security Council resolutions, adding that Kazakhstan will issue a statement strongly condemning it.

6. Foreign Minister Park explained that the Korean government is making efforts to host the World Expo 2030 Busan, and asked for Kazakhstan's support for Korea's bid to host it in Busan.

7. In addition, the two Foreign Ministers highly appreciated the contributions of ethnic Koreans in Kazakhstan, who serve as a bridge in bilateral relations, and agreed to work together in supporting the ethnic Korean community.

8. Right after the Foreign Ministers' meeting, the two Foreign Ministers signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on cooperation for 2023-2024 between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the two countries, laying the foundation for deepening bilateral diplomatic relations.

9. Following the Foreign Ministers' meeting, Foreign Minister Park had a separate meeting with Minister of Energy Satkaliev Almassadam Maidanovich, and engaged in sales diplomacy, discussing economic cooperation across all sectors, including trade and investment, energy, nuclear power plants, infrastructure, and critical mineral supply chains.

10. Particularly, Foreign Minister Park explained the excellence and economic efficiency of Korea's nuclear power plant technologies, and asked for Kazakhstan's interest and cooperation to strengthen mutually-beneficial economic cooperation through Korean companies' participation in nuclear power plant projects in Kazakhstan.

11. Foreign Minister Park's visit to Kazakhstan, the first one in five years by a Korean Foreign Minister, served as an opportunity to share a common understanding on the way forward to strengthen substantive cooperation with Kazakhstan, a key economic player in Central Asia.

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.