Welcoming Remarks
by H.E. Ahn Chong-ghee

Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea
at the Third ROK-EU International Conference on Middle Eastern and North African Affairs

February 14, 2017
Lotte Hotel, Seoul

Mr. Pekka Haavisto(페카 하비스토), Chairman of the Board of Governors of the European Institute for Peace,
Ambassador Reyad Yassin(리야드 야신), Former Foreign Minister of Yemen,
Your Excellency Mr. Jamal Sanad Al-Suwaidi(자말 사나드 알 수와이디), Director-General of Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research,

Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am very pleased to extend a warm welcome to all of you to the Third Republic of Korea-EU International Conference on Middle Eastern and North African Affairs. And I would like to especially thank those who traveled a long way to join us today.

It was three years ago when Korea and the EU agreed to convene this annual conference. Both sides believed that bringing together MENA experts from all over the world would help us all become a little wiser in our common quest to resolve the challenges in the region.

Personally, I am pleased to take part in this Conference today, since I was Head of the Korean Mission to the European Union until last November.

Distinguished guests,

Korea has been striving to broaden the scope of its diplomacy to play a more meaningful role in the Middle East and North Africa, especially considering that the spill-over effects of the interconnected nature of the crises in the Middle East and North Africa.

With strong confidence in the region’s unlimited potential, Korea has been making efforts to contribute to international efforts to bring about peace and prosperity in the region.

The current political and economic situation in the Middle East and North Africa casts a long shadow across the world. The six-year-long war in Syria, instability in Libya, and the conflict in Yemen are giving rise to violent extremism in many parts of the world, while creating the worst humanitarian situation since World War Ⅱ.

Today's multifaceted crises transcend borders and threaten global security. It is critical for all of us to prepare for the increasing uncertainty and unpredictability. In this regard, it is timely and meaningful that this conference will deliberate on a host of security challenges facing the Middle East.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Let me bring your attention to the pressing concerns in this part of the world as well.

As much as peace and security in the Middle East are intertwined with that of the rest of the world, so are the threats posed by the North Korea's nuclear and missile capabilities. Last year alone, North Korea conducted two nuclear tests and 24 ballistic missile launches. Pyongyang is inching towards the final stage of nuclear weaponization. And as all of you know, two days ago, North Korea test-fired another ballistic missile.

It is with this sense of urgency and gravity that the UN Security Council unanimously adopted another milestone resolution 2321 last November, following the resolution 2270 that was adopted in March.

Against this backdrop, Korea looks forward to working closely with all European and Middle Eastern countries to fully implement the universal obligations set forth in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Republic of Korea and the European Union, based on our solid strategic partnership, will continue our cooperation to bring peace, security and economic prosperity to the Middle East and North Africa.

Furthermore, Korea will strive to further strengthen its "Rafik" partnership with the countries of the Middle East.

With a view to strengthening mutual cooperation in the sphere of politics and security, the Korean Government has been actively holding high-level talks with Middle Eastern countries both in the bilateral and multilateral contexts. In addition to policy cooperation, we have also been increasing our contributions to securing sustainable peace and development in the region in several ways.

The first area is security. For the first time, Korea's Cheonghae Anti-piracy frigate unit will participate in the EU mission "Atalanta" near Somalia in March, in accordance with the framework agreement for the crises management participation between Korea and the European Union. In Lebanon, Korea's combat battalion, Dong-Myung Unit, has been deployed to the UN peacekeeping mission, UMFL, since July 2007 to help maintain security in the region.

Fully aware of the importance of creating stability in Sinai, we have also been providing financial contributions to the Multilateral Force and Observers since 2015.

As a member of the global coalition to counter Daesh, Korea has been providing humanitarian assistance to cope with the Syrian refugee crises. Last year, we provided $45 million to help Syrian refugees, and during 2014 and to 2016, we provided $18.6 million to assist Iraqi refugees.

In order to strengthen the capabilities of the Afghan military and police, and also to assist social and economic development, Korea provided $5 million from 2011 to 2016. It will further provide $255 million for the next 4 years.

Second, Korea has been contributing to promote economic prosperity in the region, by acting as a responsible stake-holder in global efforts to promote growth in the region.
Korea has been enjoying a long history of economic partnership with Middle Eastern countries.

Korean companies' participation in building the infrastructure in the region helped us overcome the oil crisis in 1970s, and presented opportunities for them to better prepare for economic diversification and technological development.

Nowadays, Korea is undertaking substantial collaboration with a number of Middle Eastern countries in the areas of health and medical services, information and communications technology, and renewable energy.

Third, Korea is keen on promoting people to people exchanges. We all know that the exchange of people is key to deepening mutual understanding among nations. And the Korean wave which is now spreading throughout the Middle East and North Africa is playing an important role to this end.

In fact, the number of visitors from these regions has quadrupled in the past decade from around 47,000 in 2005 to more than 168,000 in 2015. The exchange of people will continue to expand with the newly opened Korean Cultural Centers in United Arab Emirates and Egypt and periodic cultural events hosted by the Korea Arab Society, such as the annual Korea-Arab Friendship Caravan and the Arab Cultural Festival. The Korean government will continue to enhance its cooperation with the Middle Eastern countries in the fields of culture, education and tourism.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In a globalized world where the security and stability of a region is inextricably connected to those of another, it is important that we exchange thoughts, and assist each another in resolving our common challenges in a cooperative manner.

In the process, we should remember that a spirit of tolerance and peaceful coexistence can galvanize the necessary political will to overcome our differences.

Today, we will not be able to cover all the issues and challenges given the limited time. But I am confident that this conference will provide a good opportunity to pool our wisdom and share creative suggestions on the direction we should take going forward.

I hope all of you enjoy today's conference.

Thank you very much. //End//