Individual bilateral talks with Pacific Islands… “Establishment of sustainable cooperation based on trust”

On the 29th, President Yoon Seok-yeol held individual bilateral talks with the leaders of the Cook Islands, Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Niue, and Palau, who visited Korea to attend the Korea-Pacific Islands Summit 2023, said Presidential Office Spokesman Lee Do-woon in a written briefing.

As a result, individual bilateral talks were held with all 10 leaders attending the Korea-Thailand Summit, following the heads of the five countries of Kiribati, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Papua New Guinea the previous day.

During the bilateral meeting, President Yoon said, “The Republic of Korea respects individual freedom and human rights and implements policies based on the rule of law.” said.

“We, the Republic of Korea, have a calling to make a responsible contribution to the international community,” he said.

“We will establish a sustainable cooperative relationship with Pacific Island countries based on justice and trust,” he said.

In addition, he explained the meaning of raising the level of communication between Korea and Korea to the top level this time, saying, “We want to strengthen customized support to meet the needs of Pacific Island Countries.”

During the meeting with Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown, President Yoon appreciated the fact that the Cook Islands, as the chair country of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), are playing an active role representing the country on the international stage, including the G7 summit in Hiroshima.

Prime Minister Brown proposed to further deepen the friendly and cooperative relationship between the two countries on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of diplomatic ties this year, and to cooperate in the development of deep-sea resources such as manganese, iron, nickel, copper and cobalt, which the Cook Islands have abundantly.

During the meeting with President David Kabua of the Marshall Islands, President Yoon said that South Korea is also considering opening a resident mission in the Marshall Islands to continue the special relationship between the two countries.

President Kabua expressed gratitude for the Official Development Assistance (ODA) support that Korea has shown in helping the Marshall Islands overcome difficulties due to climate change, and expressed their support for the Busan Expo, which will serve as an outpost for responding to climate change in the Pacific region. .

President Yoon wished for the success of the 2023 Pacific Games to be held in the Solomon Islands in November at a meeting with Prime Minister Manash Sogabarre of the Solomon Islands, and promised to provide vehicles for transporting the athletes.

In particular, the two leaders agreed on the need to further enhance economic cooperation between the two countries by successfully leading the Tina River hydroelectric power plant project and the New Georgia Island afforestation project in which Korean companies are participating.

President Yoon expressed his intention to Niue Prime Minister Dalton Tagelagi that it was meaningful to establish diplomatic relations with all Pacific Island countries while establishing diplomatic relations with Niue through this meeting.

He expressed his gratitude to President Whips of Palau for his efforts to expand exchanges between the two countries while serving as honorary consul in Korea for the past 25 years. He also asked for continued interest so that Korean companies can actively advance into various infrastructure projects in Palau.

President Whips said, “We are looking forward to expanding collaboration with Korean companies with excellent technology in the process of preparing for the future, such as renewable energy and IT.”

Spokesman Lee said, “President Yoon held a series of bilateral meetings with the leaders of 10 Pacific Island Countries for the first time in history, demonstrating our commitment to involvement and contribution to the Pacific Island States, and providing an opportunity to solidify bilateral cooperative relations with each country. did,” he said.