By Lee Kap-soo

Foreign Minister Park Jin held the first Korea-Uzbekistan Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on Sept. 11 with Uzbekistan's Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov, who is on an official visit from September 10 to 12, to discuss ways to further develop bilateral relations.

Minister Park expressed his desire to further develop relations with Uzbekistan, Korea's only special strategic partner in Central Asia and a key ally of Korea, and hoped that the Strategic Dialogue, which comprehensively discusses key issues between the two countries, will contribute to taking bilateral relations to the next level. 
In response, Minister Saidov urged the two sides to work together to ensure that the Strategic Dialogue becomes a key channel of communication that drives the development of bilateral relations.

The two sides agreed to continue to expand high-level exchanges that have played an important role in the development of bilateral relations, and to further strengthen strategic cooperation in areas such as transportation and infrastructure, supply chains of key materials, energy, defense, health and medical care, education, environment, and digital.

Minister Park called for Saidov's special attention and support for the participation of Korean companies in large-scale transportation infrastructure projects such as high-speed rail and highways, while Saidov welcomed the investment of Korean companies and called for close cooperation to ensure their continued participation.

In the field of supply chain, the two sides agreed to work closely together to establish supply chains for key raw materials such as molybdenum and tungsten through commercialization of rare metals using Uzbekistan's abundant resources and Korea's advanced technology.

Minister Park expressed his appreciation for Minister Saidov's active efforts to resolve the difficulties of Korean businesses, such as the recent meeting with Korean businessmen, and called for support for stable business activities of Korean companies in Uzbekistan, and Minister Saidov promised to continue taking concrete measures to resolve the difficulties.

Through the Strategic Dialogue, Minister Park also explained the Korean government's efforts to host the 2030 Busan World Expo and asked Uzbekistan to support the hosting of the 2030 Busan World Expo.

Minister Park also called for the Uzbek government's continued support for the denuclearization of North Korea and peace on the Korean Peninsula, while Minister Saidov reaffirmed his support for the bold initiatives of the Korean government.

After the Strategic Dialogue, the two sides signed the Strategic Dialogue Outcome Document, which states that they will strengthen bilateral cooperation in various fields, including political affairs, economic security and supply chain, defense and security, health, green economy, environment, smart cities, inter-municipal cooperation, tourism, and culture, and agreed to hold the Strategic Dialogue in both countries on a rotational basis.

Meanwhile, Park will attend the Korea-Uzbekistan Business Forum on September 12 to hear about the current state of economic cooperation between the two countries and encourage entrepreneurs through a congratulatory speech.