1. On the morning of March 19, Mr. Lee Seong-ho, Deputy Minister for Economic Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, had a meeting with First Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Dmytro Abramovych and Deputy Minister of Finance Oleksandr Kava of Ukraine, who were on a visit to Korea, and discussed infrastructure cooperation including on railroad projects, the relations between Korea and Ukraine, and ways to vitalize economic cooperation, among others.

2. Deputy Minister Lee extended appreciation to the Ukrainian delegation for its visit to Korea to seek ways for cooperation with Korea in improving Ukraine’s railroad infrastructure, and voiced hope that the two countries would use the Ukrainian delegation’s visit to Korea as an opportunity to continue working together on infrastructure improvement projects including those regarding high-speed rail in Ukraine. 

° First Deputy Minister Abramovych, saying that Ukraine has a high interest in building high-speed rail, conveyed hope that Korea will cooperate closely with its abundant experiences in railroad projects and technology.

3. Deputy Minister Lee explained that the Korean government has been implementing the “New Northern Policy” with the aim to create engines for future growth as well as a northern economic community of peace and prosperity through economic cooperation with northern countries. He particularly added that as Ukraine was chosen as the Korean government’s priority partner country for official development assistance (ODA) this year, Korea looks forward to expanding development cooperation with Ukraine.

° First Deputy Minister Abramovych expressed pleasure with the ongoing development of the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries and suggested that the governments of the two countries make concerted efforts for the potential for the development of the bilateral ties to lead to tangible achievements in cooperation.

4. Deputy Minister Lee commended Ukraine’s recent economic reform measures, conveying hope to further promote bilateral economic cooperation by supporting activities of Korean companies in Ukraine.

° First Deputy Minister Abramovych and Deputy Minister Kava, agreeing on the need to continue mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries, stated that they will render support to the extent possible in stepping up economic cooperation between the two countries.

5. The delegation from the Ukrainian Ministry of Infrastructure visited Korea from March 14 to 19 to seek ways for cooperation with Korea in improving Ukraine’s railroad infrastructure. In the meeting, the two sides affirmed their commitment to enhancing the friendship and increasing substantive cooperation between Korea and Ukraine and agreed to continue consultations with a view to achieving mutually beneficial results.