1. Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Kim Hyoung-zhin, together with Assistant Foreign Minister Goran Aleksic of Serbia, held the sixth Republic of Korea-Serbia policy consultation at the ROK Foreign Ministry on June 22. In the meeting, the two sides discussed ways to boost high-level exchanges and substantive cooperation on trade and investment; ways to work together on the international stage; and the situations on the Korean Peninsula and in Southeast Europe.

2. The two sides noted with appreciation the advances in the ROK-Serbia relations on various levels, as demonstrated by the steady promotion of their friendship and cooperation since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1989; the bilateral foreign ministerial meeting in April 2015 and the Serbian Deputy Prime Minister’s visit to the ROK in March 2016; the conclusion of major agreements, including the agreements for the avoidance of double taxation and for air services, in early 2016 as foundations for economic cooperation; and the growing cooperation on the international stage.

3. With regard to the situation on the Korean Peninsula, Deputy Minister Kim extended appreciation to Serbia for its plan to implement UN Security Council sanctions resolutions and to join the EU in enforcing its unilateral sanctions against North Korea in response to the North’s nuclear and missile provocations. The Deputy Minister noted that if the international community continues united efforts to make North Korea change its strategic calculus while upholding the principle of non-tolerance for a nuclear North Korea, it will be possible to lead North Korea to the path toward its denuclearization. In that regard, he asked Serbia to maintain close coordination with the ROK.

4. The two sides exchanged views on the situations in Northeast Asia and Europe, including the Balkans, the EU and Ukraine.

5. The high-level dialogue between the governments of the ROK and Serbia is seen to have served as an opportunity to step up cooperation on various levels, including bilateral and multilateral, as well as coordination regarding North Korea’s nuclear and missile provocations, between the ROK and Serbia, a major country in the Balkans.


* unofficial translation