1st multilateral summit elevates Korea-Central Asia cooperation to leaders' level
Korea’s first multilateral summit with the five Central Asian countries marks an important step toward institutionalizing cooperation with the resource-rich region at the highest political level, reflecting its growing strategic importance amid intensifying global competition over supply chains, a Central Asia expert said Wednesday. The evaluation comes as the inaugural Korea-Central Asia Summit,…
Korea's inaugural multilateral summit with Central Asian nations, hosted by President Lee Jae Myung in Seoul, has successfully elevated cooperation with the resource-rich region to the highest political level. This marks a significant milestone in strengthening ties with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, following a decade of ministerial-level engagement under the Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum.
Addressing the opening of the summit, President Lee emphasized the current global transformation, highlighting the increasing intertwining of economic and security concerns across supply chains, energy, markets, and technology. He underscored the importance of the "Silk Road spirit" in Central Asia, which has historically connected people, technology, and culture between East and West, and is now more crucial than ever.
The summit represents a strategic shift in Korea's foreign policy, as it seeks to deepen its engagement with the resource-rich Central Asian countries at a time when global competition over supply chains is intensifying. This move underscores the growing strategic importance of the region and Korea's commitment to fostering a robust partnership that benefits both sides.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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