Mexico Hosts 'MIKTA' Deputy Ministerial Meeting

Korea to Serve as MIKTA Chair Country for One Year Starting February

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Kang Jeong-sik, Director-General for Multilateral Diplomacy Coordination, will attend the MIKTA deputy ministerial retreat held in Mexico City on the 11th, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on the 10th.

This meeting is the last one hosted by Mexico, the current chair country of MIKTA, and from this meeting onward, South Korea is scheduled to assume the chairmanship of MIKTA. MIKTA is a middle power consultative group consisting of Mexico, Indonesia, Korea, Turkey, and Australia, launched in September 2013 during the 68th United Nations General Assembly. The MIKTA member countries rotate the chairmanship annually (in the order of Mexico → Korea → Australia → Turkey → Indonesia), and Korea is expected to serve as the chair country from February this year until February next year.

At this meeting, the five MIKTA countries will review their activities over the past year and exchange views on the situation on the Korean Peninsula and key regional issues, as well as future cooperation on the international stage. In addition to the Korean Peninsula, they will exchange opinions on the Indo-Pacific and Middle East regions and discuss the multilateral trading system and social inclusion.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained, "Since this meeting is also the occasion for Korea to take over the MIKTA chairmanship from Mexico, Director-General Kang plans to explain Korea’s plans to contribute to the development of MIKTA as the chair country and urge active interest and participation from member countries."

Korea plans to activate discussions among member countries on future development plans, such as elevating MIKTA to a summit-level consultative body, to enable MIKTA, which has entered its 7th anniversary since its launch, to play a more constructive role in the international community.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "This year, at the MIKTA level, we plan to propose to member countries to focus on △multilateralism, △sustainable development, △peace and security, and △mutual exchange," adding, "We will express MIKTA’s joint position to strengthen multilateralism on the occasion of major international meetings such as the 75th anniversary of the United Nations, deepen existing cooperation on development assistance and UN peacekeeping operations, and propose to promote human exchanges at both government and private levels among MIKTA member countries."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.