On May 31, Foreign Ministers of Korea and 13 island countries in the Pacific will come together in Seoul for the first-ever Korea-Pacific Islands Foreign Ministers' Meeting. Participants: Foreign Ministers of Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Nauru, Tuvalu, Micronesia, Tonga, Palau, Cook Islands, Kiribati, and Niue, as well as the Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum.
The meeting's prime focus is on development cooperation, environmental protection and climate change, with the agenda of the first and second sessions respectively "Overview of ROK-PICs (Pacific Island Countries) development cooperation and suggestions to strengthen it further" and "Strengthening ROK-PICs partnership in addressing environmental issues and climate change." On this occasion, Korea plans to share its environmental vision of "Green Growth" with PICs, hold bilateral meetings between Foreign Ministers with Papua New Guinea and Fiji as well as signing ceremonies for MOUs on exchange of tax information with Marshall Islands, Cook Islands, and Vanuatu.
The Foreign Ministers from PICs will pay a courtesy call on and attend a luncheon hosted by President Lee Myung-bak on June 1, followed by tours of Korea's major industrial facilities and cultural complexes to witness its advancement first-hand.
The latest meeting is expected to serve as the main channel of communication and cooperation between Korea and PICs, laying the foundation for the development of relations between the two sides. Furthermore, as a meeting with agenda encompassing such global issues as sustainable development and solutions to climate change, it is expected to significantly elevate Korea's status as a truly globalized country.
