Ministry of Foreign Affairs Consults with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe on 'Multilateral Response' to Cross-Border Challenges

Marking 25 Years of OSCE and Asia Cooperation: Discussions on Confidence-Building Measures, Environmental Issues, and Health Security

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs held the '2020 OSCE Asian Conference' on the theme of 'Multilateral Responses to Global Challenges' via video conference on the 12th and 13th with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), a representative regional security cooperation organization.

The OSCE is a security cooperation organization among European-Atlantic countries based on the comprehensive security concept that considers political-military security, economic-environmental security, and human security, with 57 member states. Korea has participated as an Asian Partner for Co-operation since 1994.

Deputy Minister Lee Tae-ho emphasized in his keynote speech at the opening ceremony that "cooperation and governance beyond borders and regions are essential to respond to challenges such as infectious diseases, environmental issues, and cyber threats," and introduced Korea’s policies for strengthening comprehensive security, including the 'Green New Deal' and exemplary COVID-19 quarantine measures.

The conference was attended by representatives from OSCE participating countries, Asian Partners for Co-operation, and major international organizations. The participants discussed regional confidence-building measures, environmental pollution reduction, and health security based on the OSCE’s concept of 'comprehensive security,' which includes military, economic-environmental, and human dimensions, and sought ways to strengthen related cooperation between Europe and Asia.

In Session 1, held under the theme 'Sharing Practices on Regional Confidence-Building Measures between Europe and Asia,' panelists and participants exchanged views on Northeast Asia’s confidence-building efforts, Afghanistan’s counterterrorism efforts and peace negotiation process, OSCE’s political and military security codes of conduct, and trends in discussions on confidence-building and norms in cyberspace.

In Session 2, themed 'Mitigating Transboundary Environmental Threats,' participants from various countries focused on environmental issues and disaster situations worsened compared to before due to the COVID-19 situation, emphasizing the need to actively participate in international cooperation centered on the United Nations (UN) to respond to environmental threats such as water shortages and climate change that humanity faces jointly.

Session 3 was held under the theme 'Health Security and Information Access in the COVID-19 Situation.' Participants reaffirmed the need for solidarity and cooperation in the international community to respond to infectious diseases and discussed transparent information sharing and prevention of infodemics. In this session, Korea’s Disease Control and Prevention Agency introduced Korea’s COVID-19 response quarantine measures and efforts for transparent and open information sharing.

An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "Based on the discussions of the OSCE Asian Conference held via video conference amid the COVID-19 situation, we plan to continue diplomatic efforts to strengthen multilateral cooperation in the security field together with OSCE participating countries and Asian Partners for Co-operation."

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