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< Table of Contents >
● 16th ROK-ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (7.2)
● 3rd ROK-Mekong Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (6.30)
● 14th ASEAN+3 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (6.29)
● 20th ARF Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (7.2)
● 3rd EAS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (7.2)
● 3rd FLM Ministerial Meeting (7.1) |
● Foreign Minister Proposes a New Direction for Development of the
24-year-old ROK-ASEAN Relations
- 16th ROK-ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (7.2) -
Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se attended the 16th Foreign Ministers’ Meeting between the Republic of Korea and ASEAN as one of its co-chairs. In the meeting, the two sides reviewed the progress in the ROK-ASEAN relations and discussed its future direction as well as ways to work together and support the launch of the ASEAN community, ways to strengthen the ROK-ASEAN cooperation on the occasion of the 25th anniversary (year 2014) of the ASEAN-ROK dialogue relations. Minister Yun highlighted the willingness of the new ROK government to strengthen its relations with ASEAN and requested that ASEAN support the ROK’s position on North Korea issues.
Minister Yun brought renewed attention to the fact that the year 2014 marks the 25th anniversary of the ASEAN-ROK dialogue relations. He noted with appreciation that the two sides have seen remarkable progress in their ties and conveyed the intention of the new ROK government to boost its diplomacy with ASEAN.
☞ Press Release ● ROK and Mekong Foreign Ministers Seek Closer Cooperation
- 3rd ROK-Mekong Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (6.30) -
Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se attended the Third Foreign Ministers’ Meeting between the Republic of Korea and countries sharing the Mekong River in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, on June 30. In the Meeting co-chaired by Minister Yun and his Myanmarese counterpart, the officials reviewed the progress in the ROK-Mekong cooperation and discussed its future direction. They also exchanged in-depth views on other issues of mutual concern, including regional and global ones. The five countries in the Mekong region are Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.
The ROK and the Mekong countries noted with satisfaction that since the inaugural ROK-Mekong Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in 2011, they have seen such tangible achievements as the project of the establishment of the “Mekong Transportation Institute,” projects to develop human resources in trade and logistics and the ROK-Mekong business forum. They also conveyed their satisfaction with the fact that such a solid foundation for cooperation is being laid between the two regions.
☞ Press Release
● Foreign Minister Yun Discusses with China, Japan and ASEAN
Foreign Ministers the ASEAN+3’s Role in East Asia’s Growth
and Security
- 14th ASEAN+3 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (6.29) -
Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se attended the 14th Foreign Ministers’ Meeting of the ASEAN+3 (ASEAN plus the Republic of Korea, China and Japan) in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, on June 29. In the Meeting, the officials reviewed the progress in the cooperation among the ASEAN+3 countries over the past 16 years since the beginning of the ASEAN+3 and discussed its future direction. Furthermore, they exchanged views on the security in East Asia, including issues involving the Korean Peninsula.
Minister Yun noted that the ASEAN+3 countries recognized a need for cooperation to address the foreign exchange crisis in 1997 and have gradually expanded the scope of cooperation to include 20-odd sectors, such as agriculture, public healthcare, culture and education, making the ASEAN+3 a fully institutionalized regional cooperation mechanism in East Asia.
☞ Press Release
● Foreign Minister Makes Diplomatic Achievements at the ARF,
a Major Regional Security Mechanism
- 20th ARF Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (7.2) -
Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se attended the 20th Foreign Ministers’ Meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, on July 2.
○ The Meeting brought together Foreign Ministers of key ARF member states, including the US, China, Japan and Russia.
In the Meeting, Minister Yun elaborated on the ROK’s position on pending regional issues, including those concerning North Korea’s nuclear development and the South China Sea. He also proposed a future direction for the ARF, fulfilling the ROK’s role as one of the ARF’s responsible members.
☞ Press Release
● Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se Discusses the Direction of
Development of East Asia with Ministers of Major Countries
in the Asia-Pacific Region, including the US, China, Japan and Russia
- 3rd EAS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (7.2) -
Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se attended the third East Asia Summit (EAS) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei on July 2 and exchanged opinions on the direction of future cooperation among the EAS countries and regional and global situations, including the Korean Peninsula issue.
o The EAS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting was attended by the Foreign Ministers of ten ASEAN countries, US Secretary of State Kerry, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Japanese Foreign Minister Kishida, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, Australian Foreign Minister Carr, New Zealand Foreign Minister Mccully and Indian Foreign Minister Khurshid.
The participating Ministers noted that the EAS, launched in 2005 as a “forum for strategic dialogue between leaders of countries,” has developed into a major cooperation body in East Asia, maintaining the momentum of cooperation, including through the designation of priority areas for cooperation in 2007 and the US and Russia’s accession in 2011.
☞ Press Release
● Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se Attends the third Friends of the Lower
Mekong Ministerial Meeting to Support the Development of the
Mekong Region
- 3rd FLM Ministerial Meeting (7.1) -
Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se attended the third Friends of the Lower Mekong (FLM) Ministerial Meeting in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei on July 1 and exchanged opinions on projects for the development of shared water resources in the Lower Mekong basin and cooperation measures with Mekong region donors and international organizations, including the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank.
The third FLM Ministerial Meeting was presided over by US Secretary of State John Kerry, who was inaugurated in February and first attended the Meeting. Secretary Kerry stressed that donors need to avoid duplication of activities in the Mekong region by sharing information and to closely cooperate to explore joint cooperation measures.
☞ Press Release
