1. The Foreign Ministry is hosting the second MIKTA Young Leaders’ Camp in Sokcho, Gangwon-do (province), from November 2 till 4, bringing together 40 undergraduate and graduate students from the member states of MIKTA.

※ MIKTA is a consultative mechanism among the middle power countries of Mexico, Indonesia, (the Republic of) Korea, Turkey (chair for 2017) and Australia, launched during the 68th session of the UN General Assembly in September 2013.

° The purpose of the MIKTA Young Leaders’ Camp is to help undergraduate and graduate students from the MIKTA countries raise their awareness on the mechanism and build networks among them; and to conduct more projects that the peoples of the MIKTA countries can take part in. It was first held in Sokdo in 2016, and the ongoing round is the second of its kind.

2. At the launching ceremony of the 2017 Camp held at the Foreign Ministry on November 2, Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun shared with the students the significance of cooperation among the MIKTA members, which speak with one voice on the North Korean nuclear program, terrorism, human rights and other global issues; and delivered a message of hope that at the Camp, next-generation leaders will deliberate and communicate with one another on ways to resolve tough issues of the international community.

° Turkish Ambassador to the ROK Arslan Hakan Okcal offered words of encouragement and congratulations to the Camp participants.

3. After the launching ceremony, the Camp participants headed to Sokcho, where they will be offered a lecture on “middle power diplomacy and MIKTA”’ and discuss and deliver presentations in groups on main global issues and ways that MIKTA can contribute to their resolution, as well as the mechanism’s way forward.

※ The participants will be divided into five groups for discussions on the decline of liberal trade; the Syrian refugee issue; North Korea’s nuclear threat; terrorism; and climate change, and then deliver presentations on those topics.

° Diplomats from MIKTA member states to the ROK will join the discussion and presentation sessions and engage in exchanges with the participants.

4. The second MIKTA Young Leaders’ Camp is expected to serve as a good opportunity to help next-generation leaders learn more about MIKTA; to collect their original views; and to strengthen solidarity among the private sectors of the MIKTA member states.

° Going forward, a (online) platform will be built for communication among all the participants, -- previous, current, and future -- and assistance will be rendered toward the creation of an alumni group of MIKTA Young Leaders’ Camp participants, including by inviting the participants in the round held just the year before to the next year’s round.


* unofficial translation