President Yoon Suk Yeol (right) and first lady Kim Keon Hee on Dec. 11, 2023, bid farewell at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do Province, ahead of his state visit to the Netherlands. (Korea.net)
By Park Hyeri
President Yoon Suk Yeol on June 10 left for a weeklong trip to three Central Asian countries: Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo on the afternoon of June 7 released President Yoon’s schedule at a briefing held at the Office of the President in Seoul.
President Yoon seeks to use these trips to strengthen supply chain cooperation with the resource-rich Central Asian countries and promote his “K-Silk Road” initiative.
As the third regional strategy announced by the Yoon administration following those for the Indo-Pacific region and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, this plan is also a blueprint for improving cooperative relations with Central Asia, which connects Asia and Europe.
First, President Yoon on June 10 will arrive in Turkmenistan on a state visit. He will attend a summit with Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedow on raising bilateral cooperation, as well as go to a signing ceremony for a memorandum of understanding (MOU) and announce a joint declaration.
President Yoon on the morning of June 11 will deliver a keynote speech at a business forum attended by companies from both countries and hold separate talks with former Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow.
From June 11-13, President Yoon’s state visit to Kazakhstan will include a meeting with ethnic Koreans and Korean expats there and a friendly dinner with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
On June 12, both leaders will discuss boosting the strategic partnership between the two countries. Later that day, President Yoon will talk to corporate executives from both sides and deliver a keynote speech at a bilateral business forum.
Deputy Adviser Kim said, “During his state visit, President Yoon will discuss with President Tokayev expanding supply chain cooperation between the two countries in key minerals such as lithium and uranium and bilateral cooperation in boosting each country’s industrial development and economic security.”
Finally, President Yoon will make a state visit to Uzbekistan from June 13-15. He will arrive in the capital of Tashkent on June 13 and attend an official welcoming ceremony the following morning.
His itinerary there will include a bilateral summit, signing ceremony for agreements and MOUs, and release of a joint declaration.
Later in the afternoon, President Yoon will visit the U-Enter Entrepreneurship Innovation Center, which opened last year with his government’s support, to speak to youth innovators from both countries. On the final day of his trip on June 15, he will explore the ancient city of Samarkand, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, before flying home.
The three trips will also be used as an opportunity to launch the Korea-Central Asia Summit, whose inaugural edition is slated next year in Korea with the leaders of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
