1. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha visited the United Arab Emirates from July 2 to 3 at the invitation of UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah, and held the “3rd ROK-UAE Strategic Dialogue between foreign ministers” at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation on July 3.

※ The ROK-UAE Strategic Dialogue between foreign ministers takes place in accordance with the MOU on strategic dialogue between the ROK and UAE Foreign Ministries (March 2011). The 1st Strategic Dialogue was held in March 2012 (Seoul), and the second one in September 2016 (New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly).

※ Foreign Minister Abdullah is the younger brother of Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed, who has acted as de-facto ruler of the UAE on behalf of ailing President Khalifa.

2. In a bid to advance the “special strategic partnership” between the two countries, forged during President Moon Jae-in’s visit to the UAE in March, the two Ministers agreed to hold the strategic dialogue between foreign ministers on a regular basis; the foreign and defense vice ministerial (2+2) meeting in the second half of the year; and the high-level consultation on nuclear energy to discuss ways to jointly enter the nuclear power plant market in third countries, including Saudi Arabia.

3. Minister Kang asked for Foreign Minister Abdullah’s interest and support to increase Korean companies’ presence in the UAE, considering the two countries’ complementary economies, and especially expressed hope that the ICV (In Country Value) system launched by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) in April this year would not become an obstacle to Korean companies’ bidding.

* Under the ICV system, companies bidding for ADNOC’s projects are given scores based on the extent of their contribution to localization (employment of Emiratis, the percentage of local subcontractors, the amount of investments in local businesses, etc.).

4. Minister Kang said that it was meaningful that the ROK President visited the UAE in 2018, the Year of Zayed, and that the ROK side, mainly the Korean Cultural Center in Abu Dhabi, which opened in 2016, would hold a range of events for cultural exchanges to celebrate it.

o In particular, Minister Kang said that in the second half of the year,  the Korea-Arab Society (KAS) would send a group of Korean performers to the UAE, and hold various events in Abu Dhabi, including the Korea-Middle East Cooperation Forum, and asked for Foreign Minister Abdullah’s interest.

* 2018 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Founding President of the UAE Zayed (father of Crown Prince Mohammed), who laid the foundation for building a strong economy. The UAE government is holding various events to celebrate it.

o Foreign Minister Abdullah hoped that exchanges between the youth of the two countries would increase, and said that the UAE would further facilitate the Youth Ambassador program run by the office of the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

5. Minister Kang explained the latest situation on the Korean Peninsula, which was rapidly changing following the inter-Korean and US-North Korea summits, and asked for support and cooperation from the UAE, the ROK’s key ally in the Middle East, on efforts to denuclearize North Korea and establish peace on the Peninsula.

o Minister Abdullah made a positive assessment of the latest situation on the Korean Peninsula, and said that the UAE government, as a responsible member of the international community, would actively support the ROK government’s efforts towards denuclearization.

o Minister Abdullah explained the UAE’s positions on the war in Yemen, and the US withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA), and especially asked for the ROK government’s support for the Arab coalition forces’ position on Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

6. The two Ministers said that the strategic dialogue served as a useful opportunity to exchange in-depth views on not only bilateral issues, but also regional situations, and agreed to continue follow-up consultations on the sidelines of multilateral meetings, including the UN General Assembly in September.

* unofficial translation