By Reporter Lee Jun Suk
President Yoon Suk-yeol had a summit meeting with President Azali Assoumani of Comoros on May 21, during his participation in the Hiroshima G7 Summit as the Chairperson of the African Union (AU).
During the meeting, President Yoon emphasized that countries in the Indian Ocean region, such as Comoros, are important partners in our Indo-Pacific strategy, and highlighted the increasing significance of the partnership with the African Union, consisting of 54 countries. He mentioned that since Korea obtained observer status in the AU in 2005, it has been collaborating with Africa in various fields such as agriculture, healthcare, and youth human resources development through the Korea-AU Cooperation Fund and support for AU peacekeeping operations.
President Yoon officially announced his support for the African Union's membership in the G20, emphasizing the importance of Africa's role in discussions on sustainable development and economic growth during the G20 summit. President Assoumani expressed his deep appreciation for Korea's support and responded by stating that he will continue to enhance cooperation between Korea and the AU.
President Assoumani acknowledged the prominent status and influence of the Korean economy on the global stage and strongly expressed Comoros' hope for Korean support in areas such as improving food security, manufacturing industry cooperation, education and training, and climate change adaptation.
President Yoon extended an invitation to President Assoumani to attend the first-ever Korea-Africa Summit, scheduled for next year. President Assoumani expressed his gratitude for the invitation and stated his commitment to working together for the successful hosting of the summit.
Furthermore, both leaders discussed their mutual interests in areas such as the blue economy, which focuses on sustainable utilization of marine resources, and development cooperation. They shared the opinion of further strengthening the friendly relationship between the two countries.
President Assoumani expressed Comoros' support for Korea's bid for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2024-2025 term, stating that the Comoros government and its people will stand with Korea for world peace.
This Korea-Comoros summit meeting, held for the first time in 36 years since 1987, is regarded as an important milestone in strengthening the partnership with Africa on regional and global stages, including the AU and G20, not only for the bilateral relationship between the two countries.
