President Moon Jae-in and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who is on a state visit to Korea, held a one-on-one and an expanded summit at Cheong Wa Dae from 2:25 to 4:19 this afternoon.

Marking the 25th anniversary of diplomatic ties this year, Presidents Moon and Mirziyoyev agreed, at the one-on-one summit, to step up comprehensive cooperation in political and economic affairs as well as people-to-people exchanges to upgrade the strategic partnership between Korea and Uzbekistan. 

The two heads of state shared an understanding that the two countries have much in common as longstanding brother nations and that their meeting this time would serve as a milestone in writing a new chapter in the history of bilateral relations. They agreed to expand the scope of collaboration into e-government, education, healthcare and the construction of social infrastructure beyond the existing cooperation in energy and resources.

The two Presidents also reached an agreement to identify future-oriented cooperative projects and, to that end, to increase reciprocal visits by senior-level officials in economic consultative bodies and the government, including through a joint committee on trade and the economy and a meeting between deputy prime ministers for economic affairs. 

President Moon said Uzbekistan is a crucial partner in carrying out the New Northern Policy pursued by the Korean Government together with Russia. He added Uzbekistan’s role is important as well for the diversification of Korea’s diplomacy and trade.

President Moon expressed gratitude to Uzbekistan for always expressing strong support in the international community, including its recent joint proposal for an Olympic truce resolution ahead of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. He said this was especially important considering the North Korean nuclear and missile provocations. President Mirziyoyev responded by saying he actively supports President Moon’s policy of peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and denounces North Korea’s provocations. He further explained that his country closed down the North Korean embassy in Tashkent last year in support of South Korea’s stance. 

The two heads of state highlighted the following common ground between the two countries.

First, the two countries share historical ties. The Afrasiab painting from Samarkand, Uzbekistan, depicts some envoys sent by Goguryeo, an ancient kingdom of Korea, which attests to more than 1,400 years of bilateral interaction. During the summit, the Uzbek President said that he noticed two feathers attached to the hat of a Korean traditional honor guard today, which looked similar to that of a Korean envoy in the painting. In reply, President Moon said Korea would take part in the project to preserve the painting. 

Second, the ties between the two nations continue up to today. President Mirziyoyev said that his daughter`s family once lived in Korea when his son-in-law worked with GM Korea. The President went on to say that they were even familiar with some specific alleys in Seoul and had a deep understanding of Korean history as they had lived quite long in Korea.

Third, the two countries are now pushing for political and economic reforms. In this regard, President Moon noted that the goals for the administration of state affairs President Mirziyoyev is pursuing were very similar to the five governance goals of his Administration. President Mirziyoyev suggested the two countries share information on reform policies with each other and work together in realizing the goals. 

In the ensuing expanded summit, the two Presidents continued to exchange ideas on how the two countries, partners for mutual economic progress, could concretely advance substantive cooperation with regard to the expansion of trade and investment and the building of transportation, urban and energy infrastructure as well as in other areas, including health, medical services, education and farming. 

For the establishment of a financial support system aimed at furthering substantive cooperation between the two nations, the two Presidents agreed to enter into a contract to provide US$500 million over the next three years from the economic development cooperation fund and create a financial cooperation platform of at least US$2 billion to help identify new projects and provide related support. This agreement has laid the foundation to boost Korean businesses` participation in the large-scale projects in Uzbekistan. 

Minister of Strategy & Finance Kim Dong-yeon, who also attended the expanded summit, said that in preparing the summit, the two sides were able to deepen mutual trust and affinity, going beyond just fine-tuning agenda topics, which was the greatest achievement. He also noted that building on this momentum, the two nations would sign a total of eight MOUs following the expanded summit. The Finance Minister added that, as President Mirziyoyev had also urged during the Korea-Uzbekistan Business Forum in the morning, he would make his best efforts to ensure that practical and tangible outcomes are produced on the strength of the MOUs signed.  

In response to Uzbekistan’s request for Korea’s support for joining the World Trade Organization (WTO), Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Paik Ungyu said he planned to form a working group of professionals from both countries to discuss ways for potential assistance. For the suggestion of a joint study of the feasibility of a free trade agreement between the two countries, he said the two sides agreed to have working-level consultations at the earliest date possible. The Minister added that he would spare no effort in making substantive results in bilateral industrial cooperation and joint projects between companies of both nations.   

Chairman Song Young-gil of the Presidential Committee on Northern Economic Cooperation said that, although it could not go through North Korea now, the iron Silk Road, which would connect the Port of Busan and Europe by railroads as a logistics network, was in accord with the mutual interests of the two countries. Mentioning the ongoing cooperation between the Incheon International Airport and the Uzbek airports, the Chairman expressed the hope that not only railroads but also sky routes would be open. He went on to say that he would follow the intentions of the two Presidents and make efforts so that they would become railways of mutual prosperity in contrast to the railways of sorrow through which ethnic Koreans in the Russian Far East were deported to Central Asia. 

President Mirziyoyev said in addition to existing bilateral trade, it was necessary to expand the areas of cooperation to include education and medical services. The Uzbek President went on to say that the education of preschool children in Uzbekistan was very urgent, and the country had established the Ministry of Preschool Education. He said he was looking forward to expanded bilateral cooperation in this connection as well as in the areas of higher education, healthcare and medical services, and in an increased quota for Uzbek workers. Then, he extended an invitation to President Moon for a state visit to his country. 

President Moon said he would look closely into areas mentioned by President Mirziyoyev. Expressing gratitude to his counterpart for his comment at the Korea-Uzbekistan Business Forum today that he would make sure that Korean businessmen would not face difficulties in his country, President Moon said he believed that this would actually encourage more Korean businesses to enter and invest in the country. Then, the President thanked President Mirziyoyev for the invitation and for his interest in and support for the event to mark the 80th anniversary of the settlement of ethnic Koreans in Uzbekistan. The President went on to say that the Korean Government would provide support to help the ethnic Koreans live successfully as Uzbek citizens. The President also suggested that concerted efforts would be made so that the House of Korean Culture and Arts would be constructed at the earliest date possible and become a venue of friendship and harmony between peoples of both countries.