Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 12 December, Tashkent hosted the third cultural and strategic forum on “Korean Peninsula and the North: A joint journey to Uzbekistan” with the participation of a delegation from the Republic of Korea, as well as the heads of diplomatic missions of the Central Asian countries, Azerbaijan, Türkiye and Georgia in Uzbekistan.

The forum was launched by Seoul in 2021 to promote mutual understanding and cooperation between the Republic of Korea and countries located in the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. This is the first off-site meeting organized in Uzbekistan. Previous forums were held in South Korea.

Akramjon Nematov, First Deputy Director of the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan (ISMI), delivered a speech at the event.

The ISMI representative emphasized that today, relations between the countries of Central Asia and the Republic of Korea are strategic. A confidential dialogue has been established at the highest level.

Political contacts between the countries have noticeably intensified. Recently, the first strategic dialogue between Uzbekistan and the Republic of Korea took place at the level of foreign ministers. Meetings of the Central Asia – Korea Cooperation Forum are held regularly.

– In other words, we have established and steadily developed a comprehensive political dialogue. And all this is not without reason, – Mr. Nematov said.

First, according to the expert, the countries have close and similar positions on current issues of regional and international security.

Both the Republic of Korea and the Central Asian states adhere to the principles of openness, multilateralism, and the development of their regions as spaces for mutually beneficial cooperation.

Meanwhile, diversification of foreign economic relations and strengthening trust and cooperation on a global scale are common goals that also contribute to the rapprochement of the six countries.

In this context, Mr. Nematov noted the initiative of the President of Korea Yoon Suk Yeol to achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Second, as the Deputy Director of ISMI noted, the Republic of Korea makes an invaluable contribution to the development of human capital and the innovative and technological transformation of the Central Asian region.

For example, he noted, in partnership with the Republic of Korea, the Scientific and Technological Center for Rare Metals and Alloys, the Design and Technology Center for Agricultural Machinery, and the Uzbekistan – Korean Educational and Practical Textile Technopark have been created and are successfully operating in Uzbekistan.

Active work is underway to create Uzbekistan – Korean cooperation centers in construction and chemical technologies.

In Tashkent alone, branches of four higher education institutions of the Republic of Korea are currently open and successfully operating.

Thus, in his words, today, Korea is the most important source of advanced knowledge and technology necessary for modernizing countries’ economies.

“We support and commend Korea’s recent New Growth Strategy 4.0 and National Advanced Technology Strategy to achieve the second Miracle on the Han River. We are ready to work closely in these areas, to coordinate our development programs”, A. Nematov said.

Third, in his opinion, the cultural and humanitarian factor is of no minor importance in deepening cooperation.

A powerful asset in this regard is the large Korean diaspora living in Central Asian countries.

“Koreans living in Uzbekistan have become integral to our culture and everyday life. They actively participate in all spheres of life of society and the state, without exception, and act as a strong bridge between our peoples”, the expert emphasized.

In this regard, Mr. Nematov considers it necessary to support and comprehensively develop cultural and humanitarian dialogue between countries, to promote exchanges of people and mutual language learning.

As previously reported, on December 10-15 this year, a delegation from the Republic of Korea, consisting of political, diplomatic, and expert-analytical circles, is visiting Uzbekistan.

During the stay of the Korean delegation on December 11 this year, an expert forum “Strategic dialogue between Central Asia and the Republic of Korea: Prospects for mutually beneficial cooperation” was held in Tashkent, organized by ISMI in partnership with the Center for International Area Studies at the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.