The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica, Manuel A. González Sanz, and the Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kang Kyung-wha, met bilaterally on August 30th in the framework of the 8th FEALAC Ministerial Meeting held in Busan, Republic of Korea.
The meeting allowed both nations to reaffirm the excellent bilateral relations and cooperation in many areas of mutual interest, as well as the commerce and investment relations that both countries have developed in the framework of the Comprehensive Cooperation Partnership established in October 2016 during the Official Visit of President Luis Guillermo Solís Rivera to Korea, which was described by Foreign Affairs Minister Kang as a "historic milestone in the diplomatic relations between our countries ".
This is the first opportunity for both Ministers to meet after the new Korean administration assumed duties last May. During the encounter, main topics in the bilateral agenda were reviewed, with particular emphasis on the ongoing cooperation initiatives, as well as other areas of mutual interest: trade and investment, environment and sustainable development, transportation, infrastructure, education, health, science, technology and innovation, best government practices, gender and decentralization, as well as culture, tourism and sports. Both Ministers also discussed on ways to promote human talent to adequately embrace the opportunities of the 4th Industrial Revolution. In the multilateral arena, both countries agreed to mutually work in the development of initiatives promoting universal values and principles shared by Korea and Costa Rica, concerning with democracy, human rights, peace and dialogue, respect for human rights and the promotion of democracy.
Costa Rican Minister González Sanz reaffirmed the support of Costa Rica for a peaceful and nuclear-free Korean Peninsula, and the efforts led by the Korean Government with the recent ¨Berlin Initiative.¨
"We are consolidating a strategic relationship between two countries that are friends, but especially partners, for the mutual benefit of our peoples”.