On 10 April 2026, Seoul hosted the first Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) of Vice Foreign Ministers from Central Asian countries and the Republic of Korea, chaired by Korean Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Chung Eui-hae. The agenda focused on preparations for the first “Republic of Korea – Central Asia Summit,” scheduled to take place in September 2026.
Heads of Central Asian Delegations:
- Kazakhstan: Alibek Bakayev, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs
- Kyrgyzstan: Kairat Tursunkulov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs
- Tajikistan: Idibek Kalandar, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs
- Turkmenistan: Ahmet Gurbanov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs
- Uzbekistan: Olimjon Abdullaev, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs
During the meeting, the Korean side presented its vision for cooperation in areas such as partnership, peace, prosperity, and human exchanges. This vision aligns with the upcoming summit’s slogan: “Institutionalizing the Partnership between Korea and Central Asia, a Journey toward Peace and Stability, a Future toward Innovation and Prosperity, and Connection through People and Trust.”
The heads of delegations emphasized that the future summit demonstrates the elevation of relations between Korea and Central Asian countries to a new level. They expressed hope that the upcoming summit would deepen strategic and comprehensive cooperation between Korea and Central Asia.
In the afternoon, the heads of delegations were received by Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun.
The Minister called on the Central Asian officials to make every effort to ensure the preparatory process, starting with this SOM, proceeds smoothly to achieve meaningful results that the people of both regions can feel.
The representatives of the Central Asian countries confirmed their readiness for close cooperation with the Korean side to ensure the success of the upcoming summit.
Turkmen delegation participated in the Senior Officials’ Meeting of the Central Asia – Republic of Korea Cooperation Forum in Seoul
During his remarks at the Senior Officials’ Meeting of the Central Asia – Republic of Korea Cooperation Forum, deputy foreign minister A.Gurbanov noted that Turkmenistan views the Central Asia – Republic of Korea Cooperation Forum as an effective consultative platform that contributes to strengthening multifaceted cooperation among participating states. It was also emphasized that the Turkmen side was among the first to support the initiative of the Republic of Korea to hold the First Central Asia – Republic of Korea Summit in Seoul.
It was underlined that the upcoming Summit is intended to become an important stage in the development of multilateral dialogue between the Central Asian states and the Republic of Korea, aimed at further expanding diplomatic, trade and economic, investment, and humanitarian cooperation, as well as developing sustainable mechanisms for practical interaction.
During the discussion of draft outcome documents, the Turkmen side confirmed its readiness to actively and constructively participate in further joint work on their coordination and substantive development.
Organizational and protocol issues related to preparations for the upcoming Summit, including the holding of side events, were also discussed.
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On the same day, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Ahmet Gurbanov also took part in a meeting of Deputy Foreign Ministers of Central Asian countries with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea Cho Hyun.
During the talks, the sides discussed current issues of bilateral and multilateral cooperation, with particular attention given to cooperation within the framework of the Central Asia – Republic of Korea Cooperation Forum.
It was noted that Turkmenistan was among the first to support the initiative to hold the First Central Asia – Republic of Korea Summit, which is seen as an important step towards strengthening multilateral dialogue and giving new momentum to cooperation between the countries of the region and the Republic of Korea.
The sides expressed confidence that the upcoming Summit will become a significant stage in the further development of partnership and will contribute to expanding practical cooperation across a wide range of areas of mutual interest.
The Turkmen side reaffirmed its readiness to actively and constructively participate in the preparation and holding of the Summit. ///nCa, 10 April 2026 (Based on press releases from MFA Turkmenistan and MOFA Korea)