Korea-Central Asia Summit in September... Cho Hyun Calls It "A Key Opportunity to Broaden Diplomatic Horizons"

September 16-17... 1st Korea-Central Asia Summit to Be Held
Preparatory Committee Formed, Chaired by Foreign Minister and Composed of Vice-Ministerial Officials from Government Ministries

Cho Hyun, Minister of Foreign Affairs, is presiding over the first meeting of the Preparatory Committee for the First Korea-Central Asia Summit of 2026 at the Seoul Government Complex on the 12th. Provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Cho Hyun, Minister of Foreign Affairs, announced at the Government Complex in Seoul on the 12th that "the 1st Korea-Central Asia Summit is scheduled to be held in Korea from September 16 to 17."

On this day, the first meeting of the Preparatory Committee for the 1st Korea-Central Asia Summit was held under the chairmanship of Minister Cho. The Preparatory Committee is chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and is composed of vice-ministerial or senior-level officials from various government ministries and agencies.

Minister Cho stated, "Through the succession and development of the New Northern Policy, this will serve as an important opportunity to broaden the horizons of our diplomacy," adding, "Taking the convening of the summit as an opportunity, we expect not only to promote mutual cooperation with Central Asian countries, but also to build a foundation for cooperation such as diversifying supply chains and to strengthen the capacity of the Koryoin compatriot community."

In 2024, Korea and the five Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan agreed to establish the summit. In addition, President Lee Jaemyung held separate phone calls with the leaders of the five Central Asian countries in July and August last year, during which he personally conveyed his vision for holding the summit and his invitation.

Minister Cho explained, "The fact that major countries such as the United States, China, Japan, and Russia have recently been holding summit meetings one after another with Central Asian countries shows that the strategic importance of this region is rapidly increasing," and added, "We launched the Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum, a foreign ministers' level consultative body, in 2007, and by holding the first summit this year, we will solidify Korea's leading position in the Central Asian region."

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