1. On April 27, the Foreign Ministry’s Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Kim Hong-kyun will hold a consultation on the situation in the Middle East with Prince Turki al-Faisal of Saudi Arabia, who is on a visit to the Republic of Korea, and Ambassadors to the ROK from member states of the League of Arab States.

◦ Prince Turki, a renowned figure who has served as Director-General of the General Intelligence Directorate as well as Ambassador to the UK and the US, is currently working as Chairman of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies.

◦ The consultation will bring together diplomats from the Embassies of the 14 following member states of the Arab League in the ROK: Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia and the UAE.

2. The meeting has been organized for the ROK Foreign Ministry and the Arab League states to step up dialogue pursuant to the Memorandum of Understanding between the ROK Foreign Ministry and the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States concluded in 2013. It will consist of opening remarks by the Deputy Minister; a presentation on the current Middle Eastern situation by Prince Turki; and a debate among the diplomats. The participants will also exchange views on the current issues in the Middle East as well as ways to strengthen cooperation between the ROK and the Arab world.

3. The meeting will come as part of the ROK government’s efforts to implement its foreign policy toward the Middle East in a way where bilateral and regional diplomacy is pursued harmoniously through integrative and comprehensive methods. As such, it is expected to contribute to the ROK government’s efforts to consolidate its cooperation with the Arab League.


* unofficial translation