Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov attended the first Central Asia-South Korea Summit held Sept. 16 in Seoul during his visit to the Republic of Korea, Watan news program reported.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung warmly welcomed the summit participants and noted that it was the first time the leaders of the Central Asian countries and the President of South Korea had gathered in this format. He said the summit would be an important step in developing cooperation in various areas.
In his speech, Serdar Berdimuhamedov expressed gratitude for hosting the summit and for the arrangements made for the meeting. President of Turkmenistan said the high-level gathering laid the foundation for a new stage of cooperation between the Central Asian countries and South Korea and said peace, stability and mutual trust were important conditions for sustainable development.
Serdar Berdimuhamedov said Turkmenistan considers cooperation in urban development and modern infrastructure one of its priority areas, highlighting the “smart city” diplomacy initiative. Turkmen President also emphasized the importance of developing cooperation in industry, agriculture, environmental protection, water resources, health care, services and tourism.
The Turkmen President proposed expanding cooperation in education and science, developing dual-degree programs, improving young people’s digital skills, and organizing joint academic competitions and research projects. In culture and sports, it was necessary to promote intercultural exchanges among young people, festivals, creative competitions and sporting events.
During the summit, participants discussed processing the Central Asian countries’ raw materials using Korean technologies, jointly developing natural resources, building industrial enterprises, developing transport and logistics corridors, implementing joint projects in artificial intelligence and digitalization, introducing green technologies, and adapting to climate change.
The participants adopted the Seoul Declaration of the first Central Asia-South Korea Summit.
