On 31 July, Astana hosted the 3rd Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) to prepare for the first “Republic of Korea – Central Asia” Summit.
The meeting was chaired by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, Chung Eui-hae, and attended by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Arman Issagaliyev, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan Idibek Kalandar, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Ahmet Gurbanov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan Mirvohid Azimov, and Ambassador of Kyrgyzstan to Kazakhstan Kudaibergen Bazarbaev.
The meeting provided an opportunity to conduct a comprehensive review of key outcomes, outcome documents, and organizational matters for the upcoming summit.
In particular, the parties coordinated final positions on the summit’s outcome document—the Joint Declaration (provisional title: “Seoul Declaration”)—and held in-depth consultations on practical flagship projects, according to the foreign ministry of Korea.
“Central Asia is a key region for cooperation, possessing abundant energy and critical mineral resources, and serving as a strategic hub connecting Eurasia, whose importance continues to grow. It is expected that the first ‘Republic of Korea – Central Asia’ Summit will mark a new milestone in our government’s diplomacy toward Central Asia and serve as an important catalyst for elevating cooperation with the region to a qualitatively new level,” stressed the Korean Foreign Ministry.
During his remarks, Deputy Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan Ahmet Gurbanov reaffirmed the country’s commitment to further strengthening multilateral engagement within the framework of the Forum, emphasizing the importance of developing mutually beneficial partnerships between the states of Central Asia and the Republic of Korea.
He noted that the upcoming Summit and the “Central Asia – Republic of Korea” Business Summit would foster direct new contacts among business circles, as well as identify promising areas for interaction in sectors such as industry, energy, transport and logistics, digital technologies, agriculture, and other fields of mutual interest.
On the same day, Gurbanov held a separate bilateral meeting with Chung Eui-hae. During the conversation, it was noted that Turkmenistan attaches great importance to the further development of the Turkmen-Korean partnership. The sides also discussed topical issues related to preparations for the “Central Asia – Republic of Korea” Summit. /// nCa, 2 August 2026