President Yoon Suk Yeol on May 29 speaks at the first session of the inaugural Korea-Pacific Islands Summit at Yeongbingwan, the official guesthouse of Cheong Wa Dae.

President Yoon Suk Yeol on May 29 chaired the inaugural Korea-Pacific Islands Summit under the theme "Navigating toward Co-Prosperity: Strengthening Cooperation with the Blue Pacific" at Yeongbingwan, the official guesthouse of Cheong Wa Dae.

As the first international offline summit hosted by the country since President Yoon took office, the summit was attended by the leaders of the 10 member states of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF): the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

Also participating were the leaders of the French territories of French Polynesia and New Caledonia; deputy prime ministers and minister-level officials from Fiji, Samoa, Nauru, Australia and New Zealand; and PIF Secretary General Henry Puna.

The leaders discussed the state of cooperation between Korea and PIF and their direction of development, status of the region and cooperation on the international stage, the presidential office said.

In his opening statement, President Yoon said, "Let the Republic of Korea, which stands for the universal values of freedom, human rights and rule of law, foster a sustainable cooperative partnership based on mutual respect and trust with Pacific island nations that share a vision for peace and democracy."

"Pacific island nations are important cooperation partners in the implementation of Korea's Strategy for a Free, Peaceful, and Prosperous Indo-Pacific Region," he added. "Let's build a win-win partnership as our Indo-Pacific strategy and the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, the long-term development strategy of Pacific island nations, are headed in the same direction."

President Yoon Suk Yeol on May 29 chairs the Korea-Pacific Islands Summit under the theme "Navigating toward Co-Prosperity: Strengthening Cooperation with the Blue Pacific" at Yeongbingwan, the official guesthouse of Cheong Wa Dae.

In the first session that discussed strengthening cooperation between Korea and Pacific island nations, President Yoon pledged to boost relations between both sides.

Based on ties formed with all 14 PIF nations, he pledged to expand bilateral communication by increasing the number of diplomatic missions in the Pacific to improve the breadth and depth of mutual understanding. To build a sustainable partnership, he mentioned raising official development assistance and the ROK (Republic of Korea)-PIF Cooperation Fund as well as customized projects for each nation in developmental cooperation.

In the second session on the state of the region and cooperation on the international stage, the president emphasized the need for strong solidarity between both sides to overcome the complex threats facing the Indo-Pacific region including climate change, health care, food crisis and digital divide.

Citing North Korea's recent nuclear and missile provocations, he proposed a resolute response with the Pacific island nations to the North's threats and provocations as peace on the Korean Peninsula equates to that of the Pacific region.

"The Action Plan for the Freedom, Peace and Prosperity of the Pacific released in conjunction with the summit clearly suggests the direction for future cooperation between Korea and Pacific island nations," President Yoon added. "I hope that Korea and Pacific island nations cultivate a strong partnership of mutual trust and reliance."

korea.net