Korea and Kyrgyzstan Agree to Strengthen Comprehensive Partnership

President Yoon Suk Yeol and Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov shake hands during their summit at the presidential office in Yongsan, central Seoul on Tuesday. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

On Tuesday, Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol welcomed Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov to Seoul, marking the first visit by a Kyrgyz leader to South Korea in 11 years. The two leaders agreed to upgrade the bilateral ties between South Korea and Kyrgyzstan to a comprehensive partnership, The Caspian Post reports citing foreign media.

Yoon and Japarov discussed cooperation measures to strengthen and develop bilateral relations and adopted a joint statement on the establishment of a comprehensive partnership.
 
“By establishing a comprehensive partnership after 32 years of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Kyrgyzstan, the two countries have sought a new leap forward in their relationship,” said the presidential office. “We will be able to strengthen cooperation in the fields of renewable energy, energy efficiency and supply chains with Kyrgyzstan, a country with abundant water resources and minerals.”
 
The two leaders agreed to strengthen comprehensive cooperation in various areas, including trade and investment, development cooperation, energy and supply chains.
 
"The South Korean government is paying attention to the strategic importance of Central Asia as a bridgehead connecting Asia and Europe," Yoon said during the summit at the Yongsan presidential office. "In accordance with the South Korea-Central Asia K-Silk Road Cooperation Initiative, South Korea would like to dramatically develop relations with the Kyrgyz Republic, our important cooperative partner in the Central Asian region."
 
After the summit, Yoon and Japarov attended the signing ceremony of 10 cooperation documents, including the memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the Trade and Investment Promotion Framework (TIPF) between South Korea and Kyrgyzstan.
 
The TIPF is a non-binding business agreement that seeks to secure cooperation in the fields of trade, industry and energy and expand opportunities for South Korean companies to participate in the Kyrgyz market. The South Korean government has recently been actively utilizing the TIPF to strengthen comprehensive and customized cooperation with other countries.
 
The South Korean Trade Ministry signed an MOU on cooperation in the energy sector with the Kyrgyz Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision.  
 
Kyrgyzstan, where over 90 percent of its land is mountainous, generates most of its electricity from hydroelectric power and possesses minerals such as antimony, a battery material.
 
The two leaders also expressed support for South Korea’s first Central Asia strategy, the South Korea-Central Asia K-Silk Road Cooperation Initiative, and agreed to closely cooperate in preparation for the South Korea-Central Asia summit to be held next year.
 
Measures for strengthening institutional foundations for economic cooperation and establishing a public-private network to expand trade and investment as well as creating favorable conditions for South Korean companies to advance into Kyrgyzstan were also discussed during the summit.
 
The two leaders also shared the view that North Korea’s denuclearization will contribute to peace and stability not only on the Korean Peninsula but also around the world.
 
Yoon and Japarov urged North Korea to comply with its obligations under the United Nations Charter and UN Security Council resolutions.
 
Japarov expressed support for the South Korean government’s roadmap for the denuclearization of North Korea and the Aug. 15 Unification Doctrine that Yoon had revealed in his Liberation Day speech earlier this year.
 
In addition, the South Korean and Kyrgyz governments signed documents on climate change cooperation, double taxation avoidance, an economic development cooperation fund and MOUs on education cooperation and information and communication technology cooperation during the leaders’ summit.
 
The two nations also agreed to hold a South Korea-Kyrgyzstan Investment Dialogue next month to support the finding of new business items and the advancement of South Korean companies to Kyrgyzstan.