Seoul, June 1 (IANS) Foreign ministers from South Korea and dozens of African countries gathered in Seoul on Monday to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation for shared growth and jointly address supply chain disruptions and other global challenges, Seoul’s foreign ministry said.
The Korea-Africa Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, held under the theme of “Partnership for Joint Responses to Global Challenges,” brought together representatives from 50 African countries, out of the 54 invited, and four regional organisations — the African Union, the African Development Bank, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
It marks the first gathering of African foreign ministers for a meeting hosted independently the South Korean government.
“We gather today at a critical juncture where the global order is rapidly shifting. The world is facing multi-faceted challenges across various sectors, such as supply chains, energy and food security,” Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said in an opening address.
“Amid continued instability in the Middle East and uncertainty surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, African countries are gaining increasing geopolitical and economic significance on the global stage … Closer cooperation between Korea and Africa is more important than ever,” he added.
In his opening remarks, Ghanaian Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, whose country serves as the vice chair of the African Union this year, called for strong partnerships between the two sides “to move beyond traditional models of cooperation toward transformative economic collaboration.”
Ablakwa also commended South Korea for “not canceling or postponing the meeting despite the Ebola scare in a few African countries,” saying it demonstrates that South Korea “will not stigmatise Africa or engage in generalizations.”
During the plenary meeting, co-chaired by Cho and Ablakwa, participants discussed ways to further enhance economic cooperation between the two sides, focusing on trade and investment, science and technology, and supply chains.
They also explored ways to expand practical cooperation in climate change, health, peace and security, development cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, among other areas, according to the ministry.
At the conclusion of the ministerial meeting, participants are expected to adopt a joint statement.
On the sidelines of the meeting, Cho is scheduled to hold separate bilateral talks with all participating foreign ministers to discuss issues of mutual interest, according to the ministry.
On Tuesday, the Korea-Africa Business Forum will be held, bringing together about 300 business leaders, experts, government officials and representatives from both sides to discuss ways to expand trade and investment, strengthen industrial cooperation and build resilient supply chains.
Sung Kim, president of Hyundai Motor Company and former US ambassador to South Korea, and Wamkele Keabetswe Mene, secretary-general of the AfCFTA, are scheduled to deliver keynote speeches, according to the ministry.
The business forum is hosted by the ministry and jointly organised by Yonhap News Agency, the Korea-Africa Foundation, the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency and the Korea International Trade Association.
South Korea first established diplomatic relations with six African countries in 1961 and completed diplomatic ties with all 54 African UN member states after establishing relations with South Sudan in 2011, Yonhap news agency reported.
Seoul has been strengthening cooperation with Africa, whose strategic importance continues to grow amid the Middle East crisis and intensifying global competition, driven by the continent’s rapid economic development and abundant natural resources, including oil and critical minerals.
–IANS
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