Strengthening Post-Corona Central America Diplomacy... Vice Foreign Minister Lee Tae-ho Holds Video Conference with Heads of Mission from 7 Central American Countries

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] On the 29th, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a video conference chaired by Second Vice Minister Lee Tae-ho with the heads of our diplomatic missions in seven Central American countries.

The meeting was held to review the response and cooperation status of our diplomatic missions amid the local spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), and to discuss multifaceted cooperation measures to promote bilateral diplomacy with Central American countries and regional diplomacy with the Central American Integration System (SICA), composed of these countries, in the post-COVID-19 era.

The video conference was attended by the heads of our diplomatic missions in seven countries: Guatemala, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Panama.

SICA is a regional organization established in 1993 aimed at promoting political, economic, social, and cultural integration in the Central American region. Korea has been participating as an observer since 2012, maintaining cooperation channels such as the Korea-SICA Dialogue Forum.

The seven Central American countries have been developing regional solidarity based on historical and cultural commonalities. Korea has expanded its engagement through free trade agreements (FTAs) with five Central American countries?Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Panama?joining the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), securing infrastructure contracts for Korean companies, and development cooperation.

Vice Minister Lee Tae-ho evaluated the efforts of our diplomatic missions to protect overseas Koreans and Korean companies amid the ongoing high-intensity lockdown measures such as border closures and flight suspensions due to the continued spread of COVID-19 in the Central American region. He emphasized, "Let us continue the solidarity and cooperation with Central American countries, which have been strengthened through Korea’s humanitarian aid and sharing of health quarantine experiences in response to COVID-19, as well as donations of medical supplies by Korean companies and Korean communities locally, especially in the garment and apparel industries, into the post-COVID-19 era."

The attending heads of diplomatic missions agreed on the need to continue expanding development cooperation focused on health and medical sectors after COVID-19, while exploring ways to broaden cooperation in various fields such as ICT cooperation including e-government, non-face-to-face businesses, and energy and transportation infrastructure development.

They also exchanged views on strengthening bilateral diplomacy with Central American countries in the post-COVID-19 era and expanding diverse cooperation with the Central American Integration System (SICA), the regional integration organization, on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of independence of Central American countries next year.

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