1. On the sidelines of the Davos Forum, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se met with his Ukrainian counterpart Pavlo Klimkin on January 22. In the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on the situation in Ukraine and ways to promote cooperation between the Republic of Korea and Ukraine.

2. Minister Yun, on behalf of the ROK government, expressed continued support and respect for Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence. Furthermore, he commended the country for its constructive and ceaseless efforts toward a peaceful resolution of its situation, including continued consultations with relevant countries on the implementation of the Minsk ceasefire agreement.

3. In addition, Minister Yun relayed the ROK government’s hope for an early stabilization of the Ukrainian situation as well as its willingness to contribute to the stabilization, including by continuing to render necessary assistance.

* The ROK government provided 100,000 euros on May 27, 2014, for operations by inspectors from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) as well as another 500,000 US dollars in humanitarian assistance through an international organization on August 21, 2014.

◦ In response, Minister Klimkin extended appreciation to the ROK government for rendering firm support and assistance to Ukraine. He also mentioned the plan to work with the ROK in improving the humanitarian situation in and reconstructing eastern Ukraine.

4. The two Ministers noted with appreciation that despite the Ukrainian situation, the two countries have the willingness to work more closely with each other. They agreed to jointly seek the stabilization of the Ukrainian situation and the fulfillment of the potential for bilateral substantive cooperation to the maximum extent.

◦ In particular, Minister Yun noted that the ROK, by drawing upon its experiences in national reconstruction and industrialization, will be able to work with Ukraine on infrastructure projects in a mutually beneficial way. The two Ministers agreed to maintain cooperation in such sectors as IT and outer space as well.

5. Minister Yun also met bilaterally with his Georgian counterpart Tamar Beruchashivili to exchange views on ways to step up cooperation between their two countries.

◦ The two Ministers took note of close bilateral cooperation in economy, as demonstrated by the nearly 17-fold increase in two-way trade over the past five years. They expressed hope that bilateral substantive cooperation will grow in a mutually beneficial manner through increased mutual investments and Korean companies’ participation in the Georgian government’s projects to modernize its transportation and infrastructure.

◦ In addition, Minister Yun voiced hope that the two countries, by further activating their bilateral consultative mechanisms in the not only economic but also political sector, will see balanced advances in cooperation in a wide range of sectors. He also expressed hope that the ROK’s resident mission scheduled to open in Tbilisi in 2015 will help bilateral ties take a leap to a higher level. 


                Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFA

* unofficial translation