1. Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, who was on a visit to Munich, Germany, met with Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter of Switzerland, the chair country of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)’s Asian Contact Group, followed by a meeting with OSCE Secretary-General Lamberto Zannier. In the meetings, the two sides exchanged views on ways to make a success of the 2015 Republic of Korea-OSCE meeting to take place in Seoul on June 1 and 2 and to work more closely together on the ROK government’s Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Initiative.

2. Minister Yun pointed out that the ROK-OSCE meeting to come in the ROK in 2015 carries great significance as the year marks the 40th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act, the basis of the OSCE, as well as the 70th anniversary of the Korean Peninsula’s liberation from Japan’s colonial rule and its division. He asked Switzerland and the OSCE to render cooperation so as to make the ROK-OSCE meeting an opportunity to share the OSCE’s abundant experiences in trust-building and security cooperation and to accelerate bilateral and multilateral trust-building processes in Northeast Asia.

◦ Minister Burkhalter and Secretary-General Zannier, calling the forthcoming ROK-OSCE meeting highly timely and important, vowed to extend active cooperation with regard to such relevant details as its formalities and agenda.

* In a bid to promote cooperation with its five Asian Partners for Co-operation, -- the ROK, Japan, Australia, Thailand and Afghanistan -- the OSCE holds bilateral meetings with the countries on an annual basis.

3. In the meetings, Minister Yun noted that the situations in Northeast Asia and the international community are at a critical turning point caused by multiple threats. He asked Switzerland and the OSCE to pay attention to and cooperate on the ROK government’s Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Initiative designed to overcome tension and conflict and establish peace and cooperation in the region.

4. Minister Burkhalter and Secretary-General Zannier took note of the Initiative’s potential to provide significant opportunities to overcome distrust and confrontation and pave the way for trust and cooperation among countries in the region. With regard to the planned ROK-OSCE meeting, they expressed their willingness to make the event a good opportunity to move forward discussions on ways to build peace and cooperation in East Asia. They noted that to that end, they will participate actively in the meeting, including by delivering a keynote speech, as well as in its preparatory process. 

               Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFA

* unofficial translation