(Unofficial Translation)

Your Excellency President Tokayev and the delegation from Kazakhstan,

I wholeheartedly welcome your visit to the Republic of Korea.

President Tokayev is the first state guest the Republic of Korea has received since the COVID-19 outbreak. I am grateful to him for making a state visit in this significant year, one that marks the 30th anniversary of the independence of Kazakhstan. In 2019 when I visited Kazakhstan as the first state guest since President Tokayev took office, I was shown the warmest of hospitality. I am very pleased that the President’s visit to Korea enables me to reciprocate the hearty welcome extended back then. 

Two years ago, when I visited Kazakhstan, we spent a lot of time together candidly discussing our countries’ special relationship and the future that we should jointly advance toward. Over the past two years, we have closely communicated with each other – despite the COVID-19 situation – on the basis of deep friendship and trust, which has led to today’s meeting. Today, we two leaders reaffirmed our two countries’ shared vision of common prosperity and discussed ways to make it happen.

First, we agreed to expand bilateral cooperation in new industries, building on achievements made from the “Fresh Wind” program, bilateral economic collaboration projects that we adopted in 2019. Our countries have steadily implemented the Fresh Wind program over the past two years. The construction of the Almaty Ring Road is well under way, and a Korean automobile manufacturing factory, completed at the end of last year, is producing cars.

Moreover, cooperation in the field of the Fourth Industrial Revolution will be further stepped up. We concurred on the importance of strengthening mutually beneficial cooperation in the utilization of big data, the commercialization of 5G mobile telecommunications and other promising sectors.

In the sector of healthcare and medical services, we agreed to expand cooperation in various formats such as e-health, collaboration projects in the private sector and exchanges of medical personnel, knowledge and services. In addition, based on our two countries’ MOU on space cooperation, we agreed to further strengthen cooperation in the space industry.

Second, the two countries agreed to jointly respond to pending global issues, including infectious diseases and the climate crisis, and to strengthen cooperation on the international arena. Sharing a common understanding that international collaboration should be strengthened to prevent, control and respond to infectious diseases, we concurred to work closely together on the foundation of the cooperation made so far against COVID-19. The two countries also agreed to look for ways to cooperate when responding to the climate crisis through international organizations such as the Korea-led Global Green Growth Institute.

Noting the two countries’ significant cooperation with forestry, including preventing desertification around the Aral Sea and restoration elsewhere, we agreed to strengthen bilateral forestry collaboration through the Asian Forest Cooperation Organization and other international entities. We also came to an agreement to cooperate more actively on the development of sustainable water resources and smart water management.

We highly praised the fact that the Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum, which was launched in 2007, has established itself as an exemplary multilateral cooperation framework and agreed to continue to advance the Forum together. In addition, we reaffirmed Kazakhstan’s unwavering support for the Korean Government’s efforts to achieve denuclearization and permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Third, marking the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties next year, we agreed to expand people-to-people and cultural exchanges. Our countries designated next year as the year of mutual cultural exchanges. Various events will be prepared to further increase our people-to-people exchanges. We two leaders shared an understanding that active people-to-people and cultural exchanges are an important foundation for the advancement of bilateral relations and agreed to work together to revitalize exchanges.

We are grateful to Kazakhstan for having warmly embraced the ethnic Koreans who migrated there 80 years ago. Today, more than 100,000 ethnic Koreans contribute to Kazakhstan’s national development and serve as a bridge that brings our two countries closer.

President Tokayev has given unstinting support for the repatriation of Korean patriots who had been laid to rest in Kazakhstan. Thanks to this, we were able to bring back home the remains of independence activists Gye Bong-woo and Hwang Woon-jeong as well as those of their spouses during my visit to Kazakhstan. With this state visit by President Tokayev to Korea, we were able to bring back home the remains of General Hong Beom-do, the hero of the battles of Fengwudong and Qingshanli.

This is a truly great and meaningful gift to the Korean people as we are commemorating the 101st anniversary of the victories in those two battles and the 76th anniversary of our liberation this year. I am deeply grateful for the friendship shown by President Tokayev and the Kazakhstan Government.

The friendship between our two peoples will deepen further. President Tokayev’s state visit to Korea and today’s summit will become an important milestone for our two countries’ shared happiness and prosperity.

Rahmet! Thank you.