1. Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin attended the second “Partners in the Blue Pacific (PBP)” Foreign Ministers Meeting held in New York on September 22. The ministerial, chaired by Secretary of State of the United States Antony Blinken, brought together foreign ministers and representatives of PBP partners and observers as well as Pacific Island (PI) countries.

2. Foreign Minister Park shared with the other participants Korea’s commitment to contributing to freedom, peace and prosperity in the region through stronger cooperation with PI countries in line with its Strategy for a Free, Peaceful, and Prosperous Indo-Pacific Region unveiled in December 2022. He added that, in an effort to that end, Korea hosted the first Korea-Pacific Islands Summit in May and plans to expand its official development assistance (ODA) for PI countries as well as the Korea-Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Cooperation Fund. 

3. Foreign Minister Park, saying that the Korean government attaches significance to cooperation with PI and like-minded countries for assistance to PI countries, suggested that as its cooperation project, the PBP, in collaboration with the Korea Forest Service, pursue forestry cooperation in response to the climate crisis facing PI countries.

4. At the PBP Foreign Ministers Meeting, the second of its kind following the first held last year, the representatives of like-minded and PI countries shared the PBP’s vision and future plans and discussed main areas of cooperation. For Korea, the event served as an opportunity to share its diplomatic vision as a “global pivotal state” and to convey its commitment to strengthening its relations with and contributing to PI countries.