1. The First “Republic of Korea (ROK) – Afghanistan Political Consultations” were held on the morning of 7 April 2021, with Mr. Lee Kyung-chul, Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan of the ROK, and H.E. Meerwais Nab, Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs of Afghanistan, heading their respective delegations. * Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Choi Jongmoon of the ROK had a separate meeting with Deputy Minister Nab in the afternoon on the same day, and discussed ROK – Afghanistan bilateral relations, regional situations and cooperation on the world stage. 2. The two sides valued the progress made over the years for the stability and development of Afghanistan and shared their hope that the ongoing intra-Afghan negotiations will yield political solutions to end the long-standing conflict in Afghanistan. o Both sides recognized the importance of building a stable, peaceful and democratic Afghanistan, and shared the view that the political solutions should be shaped in such a way as to protect the rights of the Afghan people, in particular, women, youth and minorities. 3. Special Representative Lee noted that since 2011, the Korean government, in cooperation with the international organizations, including the United Nations, had provided significant financial assistance for the capacity-building of the Afghan military and police, as well as for the economic and social development of Afghanistan. Deputy Minister Nab expressed the Afghan government’s appreciation to the ROK, reaffirming that Korea’s support has contributed greatly to the reconstruction of Afghanistan. o Both sides jointly reviewed the current status and achievements of the Korean government’s development projects for Afghanistan, such as supporting COVID-19 response, enhancing gender equality, Soybean projects, and sharing experience in economic development, and agreed to continue to closely communicate with each other to ensure substantial results from the development projects. o In addition, both sides agreed to further expand and deepen the bilateral cooperation in various fields including trade and investment. 4. Deputy Minister Nab affirmed that the Afghan government will ensure, to the fullest possible extent, the safety and security of the Korean nationals as well as the Korean Embassy’s premises and personnel in Afghanistan. 5. As both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in the regional and multilateral arenas, Deputy Minister Nab informed the Korean side of the Afghan government’s decision to support the ROK’s candidature for the non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council for the 2024-25 term. He also reaffirmed his government’s support for the Korean government’s principles and efforts for the denuclearization and the establishment of permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula and expressed his government’s determination to continue to render such support on the path ahead. 6. The Political Consultations mark the first high-level meeting between the two countries held on a regular basis. The occasion was held at a critical juncture in which peace talks to end the war in Afghanistan are underway. It was also an opportunity for the ROK government to demonstrate its determination for consistent and sustained contribution to peace and reconstruction in Afghanistan, as a responsible member of the international community. o Korea has been actively engaged in the process of rebuilding Afghanistan for the past 20 years, drawing upon its own experience of achieving economic growth and democracy at the same time, and will continue to join the efforts of the international community towards peace and stability in Afghanistan. (End) Source
Related News