1. On March 8, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and his Qatari counterpart H.E. Dr. Khalid Bin Mohammed Al-Attiyah signed a memorandum of understanding for mutual cooperation on diplomat training between the Korea National Diplomatic Academy (KNDA) and the Diplomatic Institute of Qatar. President Park Geun-hye, who was on a visit to Qatar as part of her Middle East tour, and Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani of Qatar also attended the signing ceremony that took place in the Qatari capital of Doha.

2. Under the MOU, the two agencies will exchange information on diplomatic training; render assistance to each other by having their diplomats, relevant experts and academics deliver lectures in the field; and offer opportunities to their diplomats and/or candidates to attend educational programs and seminars held by the other side.

◦ The KNDA is the expanded and reorganized successor of the former Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security. Since its launch in March 2012, it has been increasing exchanges and cooperation with the world’s leading organizations for diplomatic education and training as part of efforts to nurture diplomatic talent and to strengthen its capabilities for research on and development of mid- to long-term foreign policies.

◦ As part of such efforts, the KNDA has been continuously boosting exchanges and cooperation with major diplomatic academies in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. The MOU concluded with Qatar marks the second of its kind concluded with a country in the Gulf region following the one concluded with the Institute of Diplomatic Studies of Saudi Arabia in May 2011.

3. With the conclusion of the MOU, a foundation is seen to have been laid for stepping up cooperation on diplomatic education and training with Qatar, one of the Republic of Korea’s major partner countries in the Gulf region. Going forward, the two countries are expected to see cooperation and people-to-people exchanges increase in research on foreign affairs, security and international relations. 


                 Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFA

* unofficial translation