ASHGABAT -UNS: A meeting of the Foreign ministers took place in Ashgabat within the framework of the “Central Asia-Republic of Korea” cooperation format On November 1, 2023.The meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Central Asian countries and the Republic of Korea was devoted to the topic “Cooperation through the realization of the enormous potential of youth in shaping a sustainable future in Central Asia and the Republic of Korea”. This formulation is reflected in the joint efforts of the participating countries of the Forum to develop an agenda that determines the key areas of further partnership for the coming years, where the role of youth and its potential, which are being formed today, will be of decisive importance.
During the meeting, participants spoke out on current regional issues, issues of implementation of youth policy in each of the countries participating in the Forum, and also presented specific measures and steps taken within the framework of national plans and programs. The parties
put forward a number of important ideas and initiatives to join forces in further expanding and strengthening international cooperation, including
through youth interaction aimed at achieving sustainable development
goals in general.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan R.Meredov, speaking at the meeting, emphasized that 2023 in Turkmenistan has been declared the Year of youth and this is very symbolic from the point of view of the implementation of the concept of Turkmen chairmanship at the current meeting of the “Central Asia-Republic of Korea” Cooperation Forum. The conviction was expressed that the potential of young people in the
process of forming sustainable development should be realized by intensifying their participation both in the implementation of national plans and programs, and by expanding international cooperation in this area. At the same time, the importance of the global initiatives “Youth 2030”, “Generation Without Borders”, “World Heritage Volunteers”, and the Global Youth Community was noted.
In this context, the Turkmen side marked expediency in the near future to
focus joint activities on strengthening ties on the youth format and to
formulate a Strategy for international cooperation between the youth of
the Central Asian states and the Republic of Korea, the main components
of which should be concentrated on such key areas as education and
science, sports and culture. In this regard, it was proposed to consider the
possibilities of joint training of personnel in “double degree” programs,
expanding digital knowledge among young people, creating an
International Student Center and an Institute for supporting the
development and introduction of innovative ideas of youth, developing
the “Young talents” program, preparing a Roadmap for Intercultural
Exchanges for 2025-2030, holding international youth sports games of
Central Asian countries and the Republic of Korea, etc.
During the speech of the delegation of Turkmenistan, the opinion was
also expressed that when carrying out activities in the abovementioned
and other areas of youth cooperation, close interaction with the Korea
International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the Korea Foundation (KF),
the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), as well as national and
international partners is necessary.
There was also a constructive exchange of views on key issues on the
regional and international agenda and a common view was expressed on
the commitment to maintaining solidarity and joint efforts to ensure
global long-term peace, security and stability. The ministers emphasized
the importance of the Forum’s activities as a regular multilateral
consultative platform and its contribution to strengthening practical
cooperation between the states of Central Asia and the Republic of Korea.
Speaking about the relevance and prospects of parliamentary diplomacy
as an effective tool for global interaction in ensuring peace, security and
stability, the ministers highly appreciated the results of the first meeting of
the Chairmen of the Parliaments of the countries of Central Asia and the
Republic of Korea, which took place in September this year in the
Republic of Korea. The heads of delegations welcomed the decision to
hold the second meeting of this format in 2024 in Ashgabat.
One of the priority objectives of the “CA-RK” cooperation format is
partnership in the economic sphere. In this context, it was emphasized
that the presence of Korean business in Central Asia and the
implementation of joint projects in various fields can significantly and
positively influence the development of the region and provide new
prospects for a broad and mutually beneficial international partnership.
The participants expressed a common opinion on the need and importance
of concentrating efforts on promising areas of interaction in the “Central
Asia-Republic of Korea” cooperation format, ensuring synergy and using
existing objective advantages and resources. Along with this, emphasis is
placed on deep historical and cultural ties, the similarity of basic values
and moral guidelines of the peoples of the region.
As the participants noted, the Ashgabat Forum demonstrated that the
consistent strengthening of ties, increasing the economic potential of
cooperation, logistics opportunities, the formation of effective
cooperation schemes in science, education, medicine, tourism, in the field
of environmental protection, joint development of projects in the field of
industry, agriculture, textile industry, high-tech industry, digitalization,
cultural and humanitarian interaction meets the genuine interests of the
peoples of Central Asia and the Republic of Korea, serves the goals of
economic and social growth.
