1. On March 18, the final day of the PyeongChang Paralympic Winter Games, the Foreign Ministers of the five MIKTA countries adopted a joint statement, in which they extended congratulations on the success of the PyeongChang Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, and welcomed the recent developments on the Korean Peninsula.

o In the joint statement, they said that the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games were the largest Winter Games ever, where 92 countries, including North Korea, participated, and the Winter Games served as a good opportunity to showcase sportsmanship and solidarity to the world.

o They also welcomed the recent developments on the Korean Peninsula that occurred on the occasion of the PyeongChang Olympics, including the agreement to hold an inter-Korean summit, and hoped that these developments will bring about positive progress in inter-Korean relations and denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and thus contribute to promoting peace and prosperity in the region and beyond.

※ MIKTA is a mechanism for cooperation among five middle-power countries -- Mexico, Indonesia, Korea, Turkey and Australia. It was launched on the sidelines of the 68th session of the UN General Assembly (September 25, 2013, New York).

2. The joint statement, the first one adopted by the MIKTA Foreign Ministers this year, helped build consensus on the ROK-led efforts to maintain peace on the Korean Peninsula. The ROK government will continue to work to raise its voice not only on issues on the Korean Peninsula, but also on key global agendas, taking advantage of MIKTA.

※ Number of joint communiqués and statements adopted by MIKTA: 3 (2014) → 6 (2015) → 11 (2016) → 13 (2017)

* unofficial translation