BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 16. The heads of
state of Central Asian countries and the Republic of Korea signed
the Seoul Declaration following the first Central Asia - Republic
of Korea Summit held in Seoul on September 16.


According to the press service of the President of Kyrgyzstan,
the signing ceremony was attended by President of the Kyrgyz
Republic Sadyr Japarov, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of the Republic of Tajikistan
Emomali Rahmon, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov,
President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and
President of the Republic of Korea Lee Jae Myung.


"Today, September 16, following the Central Asia – Republic of
Korea Summit, the heads of state signed the Seoul Declaration," the
statement said.


In the declaration, the sides emphasized the importance of
further deepening mutually beneficial cooperation and welcomed the
elevation of the Central Asia – Republic of Korea cooperation
format to the summit level. The leaders also agreed to hold such
summits regularly once every two years.


In the economic sphere, the sides agreed to expand practical
cooperation in trade and investment, including the development of
sustainable supply chains, diversification of trade, and expansion
of the range of goods traded between the sides.


The leaders also welcomed the establishment of a consultative
mechanism of industry ministers in the C5+1 format and the signing
of a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in industry and
supply chains between the Republic of Korea and the five Central
Asian countries.


Particular attention was paid to attracting investment in the
textile and light industries, technological cooperation, and the
development of value chains.


The sides also expressed interest in cooperation in the field of
critical minerals in Central Asia, including combining the region’s
resource potential with the Republic of Korea’s advanced
technologies, developing processing capacities, localizing
production, and creating joint production chains for
high-value-added products.







In the energy sector, the leaders noted the strategic nature of
cooperation in the oil and gas and petrochemical industries and
expressed interest in implementing joint projects on deep natural
gas processing, modernization of energy infrastructure, as well as
the development of hydropower and renewable energy sources.


In addition, the sides agreed to facilitate the participation of
Korean companies in the construction, modernization, operation and
management of transport infrastructure in Central Asia, as well as
the development of digital and multimodal transport systems.


The declaration also provides for expanded cooperation in
agriculture, including seed production, storage, mechanization,
processing and the introduction of modern technologies.


In the digital economy, the sides expressed interest in
cooperation on the digital transformation of industry, agriculture,
public services and other sectors, as well as in the development of
artificial intelligence, science, technology and innovation.


The leaders also emphasized the importance of supporting small
and medium-sized enterprises and startups, including in the fields
of artificial intelligence, information technology and
environmentally friendly industries.


Kazakhstan expressed its readiness to host the second Central
Asia – Republic of Korea Summit in Astana in 2028, a proposal
supported by the other participating countries.