1. The eighth Republic of Korea-Belarus Policy Consultation took place in Seoul on February 2, with Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Lee Kyung-soo of the ROK Foreign Ministry and his Belarusian counterpart Valentin Rybakov leading their respective delegations.

2. In the meeting, the two sides took note of the recent advances in substantive cooperation between their two countries, including the opening of a commercial office of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) in Minsk in March 2014; the acquisition of Belarus’ IT company by a Korean IT company; and the visit to Belarus by the Minister of Science, ICT and Future Planning in September 2014.

3. In particular, the two sides agreed to continue seeking various ways to work together in areas with great potential for bilateral cooperation, such as science, technology and IT. In addition, in a bid to solidify the foundation of their substantive cooperation, the two sides agreed to positively consider a memorandum of understanding on mutual assistance in customs matters and another on cooperation in the field of education.

◦ The ROK side proposed holding the second meeting of their Joint Committee on Science and Technology in 2015 for discussions on ways to boost joint research in the five areas agreed upon at the inaugural meeting of the Joint Committee held in 2012 and to increase relevant cooperation, such as in workforce exchange projects.

◦ The Belarusian delegation asked the ROK government to positively consider seeking a visa exemption agreement for holders of regular passports with a view to boosting people-to-people exchanges and substantive cooperation.

4. The two sides agreed to draw up a roadmap of actions in 2015 for advancing their relations and to make strong efforts to move smoothly forward with the roadmap.

◦ The roadmap, a document setting forth the direction of bilateral cooperation for the year 2015, will mainly call for working together at the UN and other international mechanisms and promoting exchanges between the parliaments; boosting economic cooperation through business forums, exhibitions and fairs; convening the Joint Committee on Science and Technology; and increasing exchanges of researchers on creative economy and cooperation on the e-government system.

5. The two countries shared the view that their Policy Consultation provided an opportunity for comprehensive discussions on bilateral relations across the board, thereby greatly helping explore ways to step up cooperation. They agreed to consult with each other through diplomatic channels on holding the Policy Consultation on a relatively regular basis down the road. 


               Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFA

* unofficial translation