South Korea has concluded its first leaders’ summit with all five Central Asian states, placing critical minerals, energy and supply-chain security at the center of the agenda.
President Lee Jae Myung hosted the leaders of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan for bilateral meetings and a regional summit.
The talks produced more than 70 agreements and memoranda covering mining, energy, infrastructure, technology, investment and workforce development.
Seoul said it wants cooperation to extend beyond raw-material purchases into exploration, processing, research and the manufacture of finished products.
South Korea also pledged support for rare-metals centers in Central Asia to promote joint research and technical training.
Agreements with Kazakhstan included nuclear energy and crude oil, while the two countries elevated their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
The participants agreed to hold leaders’ meetings every two years, with Kazakhstan scheduled to host the next summit in 2028.
Source: Reuters
Featured photo by Dominik Vanyi via Unsplash.