Hamsangwook, Multilateral Diplomacy Coordinator, Visits Ethiopia on 19-20th... High-Level Series Talks to Strengthen Health Cooperation and More

Foreign and Health Ministers to Consider Establishing '2+2 Consultative Body'
Discussion on Strengthening Korea-Africa Union Cooperation

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Ham Sang-wook, Director-General for Multilateral Diplomacy Coordination at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, visited Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from the 19th to 20th to attend a donation ceremony for supplies related to the Korean government's ongoing "Comprehensive Emergency Support Program for COVID-19 Response" targeting Ethiopia and the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He also held high-level consultations to strengthen Korea-Ethiopia and Korea-African Union cooperation.

During this visit, Director-General Ham held a separate meeting with Lia Tadesse, Minister of Health, to discuss ways to enhance health cooperation between the two countries. They agreed to consider concluding a health agreement and establishing a "2+2 consultation mechanism" between the foreign and health ministers to institutionalize and strengthen health security cooperation. He then paid a courtesy call on Gedu Andargachew, Ethiopian Minister of Foreign Affairs, and met with Redwan Hussein, Ethiopian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. His schedule also included visiting the Korean War Veterans Memorial Park and holding a meeting with heads of government agencies stationed in Ethiopia.

With Minister Gedu, they discussed ▲ Korea-Ethiopia bilateral relations ▲ ways to strengthen cooperation to overcome the COVID-19 crisis ▲ the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial Meeting ▲ and the situation on the Korean Peninsula. Director-General Ham particularly evaluated the progress in bilateral relations across various fields and the steady expansion of cooperation not only bilaterally but also on multilateral platforms, urging continued development of the bilateral relationship. He also pledged to continue supporting Korean War veterans and their descendants, who are a living symbol of the bilateral relationship.

Minister Gedu expressed deep gratitude not only for the Korean government's support but also for the civil society's unwavering assistance to help Ethiopia overcome COVID-19. He also repeatedly thanked for the ongoing support for veterans and their descendants.

Director-General Ham explained the Korean government's COVID-19 response strategy and expressed appreciation for the Ethiopian government's decision not to impose a full lockdown but to keep borders open, which allowed many Korean residents in Africa to return home via Addis Ababa. He also thanked for the rotation of the Hanbit Unit, which is on a mission in South Sudan, passing through Ethiopia.

Director-General Ham announced that he invited Minister Gedu to the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial Meeting scheduled to be hosted in Seoul in April next year, to which Minister Gedu responded positively. Additionally, Director-General Ham briefed on the recent situation on the Korean Peninsula, and Minister Gedu replied that Ethiopia supports the Korean Peninsula peace process and will do its best to cooperate for peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Following the visit to Minister Gedu, Director-General Ham met with Deputy Minister Redwan Hussein to discuss in detail the above matters including ▲ Korea-Ethiopia bilateral relations ▲ ways to strengthen cooperation to overcome the COVID-19 crisis ▲ the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial Meeting ▲ and the situation on the Korean Peninsula. They also discussed bilateral issues such as resolving difficulties faced by Korean companies operating locally and cooperation on the international stage.

In particular, both sides agreed to work towards resolving the difficulties faced by Korean companies operating in Ethiopia and to create a sustainable and fundamental environment conducive to business for Korean companies.

Furthermore, Director-General Ham held meetings with key figures of the African Union (AU), including Thomas Kwesi Quartey, Deputy Chairperson of the AU Commission, and Smail Chergui, Commissioner for Peace and Security. Director-General Ham met with Deputy Chairperson Quartey to discuss Korea-AU cooperation on COVID-19 response. He explained the Korean government's COVID-19 response strategy based on the principles of transparency, openness, and democracy. Deputy Chairperson Quartey expressed agreement with the idea that "no one is safe until everyone is safe" and stated that the Korean government's COVID-19 response model should be emulated worldwide, expressing gratitude for Korea's support to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Director-General Ham then met with Commissioner Chergui to discuss ▲ Korea-AU cooperation ▲ contributions to regional peace and security ▲ the 5th Korea-Africa Forum ▲ and the situation on the Korean Peninsula. He evaluated the remarkable growth in Korea-AU relations since the Korean government obtained AU observer status in 2005 and explained that the Korean government plans to hold the 5th Korea-Africa Forum next year to deepen relations with the AU, requesting cooperation from the AU side.

Commissioner Chergui responded that he clearly recognizes Korea's growing interest and investment in the African continent and pledged to provide necessary cooperation to ensure the successful hosting of the 5th Korea-Africa Forum.

Additionally, Director-General Ham briefed on the recent situation on the Korean Peninsula, and Commissioner Chergui highly praised President Moon Jae-in's insight and approach to peace on the Korean Peninsula at the AU level, stating that the AU will continue to support the peaceful resolution of the Korean Peninsula issue.

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