▲ Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul (R) shakes hands with Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov ahead of their talks on the sidelines of the South Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum in Seoul on Nov. 4, 2024, in this photo provided by Cho's office. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
▲ Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul (R) poses with Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu ahead of their talks in Seoul on Nov. 4, 2024, in this photo provided by Cho's office. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

FM-Central Asia talks

FM Cho discusses bilateral cooperation, next year's summit with Uzbek, Kazakh counterparts

By Kim Seung-yeon

SEOUL, Nov. 5 (Yonhap) -- Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul has discussed efforts to expand cooperation with his counterparts from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, as well as an upcoming leaders' summit with Central Asia, Cho's office said Tuesday.

Cho held separate bilateral talks with Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov and Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu on Monday, Seoul's foreign ministry said.

The two top diplomats from Central Asia were visiting Seoul this week for a regional cooperation forum hosted by the South Korean government.

In the talks with both counterparts, Cho asked the two countries' support for South Korea's "K-Silk Road" initiative, a vision for deeper cooperation and ties with Central Asia.

The "K-Silk Road" was announced in June during President Yoon Suk Yeol's visit to Central Asia. It calls for creating a new cooperation model by linking South Korea's innovative capabilities with Central Asia's abundant resources and development potential.

Cho also requested their support for the planned summit between South Korea and five Central Asian nations, scheduled for next year.

On the same day, First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun met one-on-one with his counterparts from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan -- Sodiq Imomi and Asein Isaev, respectively -- and had broad discussions on the bilateral partnerships and other issues of shared interest, the ministry said.

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