Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and South Korea have adopted the Seoul Declaration following their first summit in Seoul on September 16.

The leaders agreed to hold the summit every two years, with Kazakhstan scheduled to host the next meeting in 2028. Between summits, the countries’ foreign ministers will monitor the implementation of the agreements reached by the leaders, according to the official website of the Kyrgyz president.

One of the key areas of cooperation will be air connectivity. The countries plan to expand cooperation in air transportation, including regional routes, improve flight safety and exchange expertise in airport management. The declaration does not specify any particular new routes.

Economic cooperation will focus on trade, transport infrastructure and the processing of critical minerals. The leaders expressed interest in developing joint production chains that would allow raw materials to be processed locally and turned into higher-value products.

Energy is another major priority. The sides plan to explore joint projects in hydropower and renewable energy, as well as the modernization of energy infrastructure using South Korean technologies. Cooperation on natural gas processing, petrochemicals and clean-energy technologies is also included in the broader framework.

The declaration also highlights artificial intelligence and digitalization. The leaders supported training government officials from Central Asian countries in AI-related fields and agreed to expand cooperation in digital government services.

Education and human capital development are also part of the new agenda, with plans for joint research, student exchanges and scholarship programs.

The Seoul Declaration follows the first-ever leader-level South Korea-Central Asia Summit, bringing together the presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.

The summit elevates cooperation between South Korea and Central Asia to the leaders’ level after years of cooperation through the Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum, which began in 2007.