The 37^th ASEAN Summit and related summits were held from 12-15 November via video conference at a time when closer solidarity and cooperation in combating the COVID-19 pandemic are much needed. The impact of COVID-19 varies in each country, but in common no country can let its guard down until treatments and vaccines are developed and distributed to all countries. Korea will continue to cooperate with ASEAN to respond to the COVID-19 crisis as it has been doing multilaterally and bilaterally. Korea will actively participate in the COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund, and support Cambodia, one of its major partners, to effectively respond and combat COVID-19. Through the COVAX Advance Market Commitment, Korea will contribute 10 million US dollars to help provide COVID-19 vaccines to developing countries, supporting the goal of ensuring affordable, fair, and equitable access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines for all people.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the strategic partnership between ASEAN and Korea. At the 21st ASEAN-Republic of Korea (ROK) Summit held on 12 November, H.E. Moon Jae-in, President of the Republic of Korea, announced the upgraded ‘New Southern Policy Plus (NSPP) Strategy’ based on the three pillars of ‘People’, ‘Prosperity’ and ‘Peace’. Cambodia voiced support for Korea’s NSPP and commended the ongoing Cambodia-ROK free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations. Cambodia also stressed the importance of human resources development and reskilling, requesting Korea to provide more professional trainings in the area of ICT and digital economy.

The 2nd Mekong-ROK Summit was held on 13 November via video conference. Last year on the occasion of the first Summit, which was elevated to a summit level through the proposal by Samdech Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of Cambodia, the adoption of the ‘Mekong-Han River Declaration for Establishing Partnership for People, Prosperity, and Peace’ laid a valuable foundation for a yet stronger Mekong-ROK cooperation. The Mekong-ROK cooperation has grown stronger since its inception in 2011, sharing a common vision to create a people-centered community of peace and prosperity in the region. Given such remarkable progress, the leaders at the summit agreed to elevate the Mekong-ROK cooperation to a ‘Strategic Partnership for People, Prosperity, and Peace’.

In addition, the leaders reiterated joint efforts to promote regional connectivity, and renewed commitment to strengthen cooperation in constructing road, bridges, railroads and ports. In this regard, the construction of the ‘Cambodia-Korea Friendship Bridge’ traversing the Mekong river in the capital Phnom Penh will not only further strengthen bilateral cooperation between Cambodia and Korea in the infrastructure sector but also promote regional connectivity.

Likewise, substantial achievements in the development cooperation between Korea and the Mekong countries over the last three decades has contributed to the economic growth and sustainable development of the Mekong region. The leaders of the Mekong countries welcomed the ROK government’s pledge to increase the Official Development Assistance (ODA) towards the ASEAN countries and expressed appreciation for the ROK’s total contribution of 10.42 million USD to the Mekong-ROK Cooperation Fund (MKCF) since 2013.

Korea will also seek to preserve the ecological integrity of mighty Mekong, the Mother of Rivers, and cooperate closely in water resources management, especially through the Korea-Mekong Water Resources Collaboration Research Center (KMCRC), by addressing water management issues caused by climate change and natural disasters such as saltwater intrusion, drought, and floods. Throughout this process, the Mekong-ROK Cooperation Fund and our official development assistance will be scaled up continuously.

2021 marks the 10th Anniversary of Mekong-ROK Cooperation and Mekong-ROK Exchange Year. Cambodia will be co-chairing with the ROK the 3rd Mekong-ROK Summit and the 11th Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. The upgraded strategic partnership will renew and further strengthen the close cooperation already existing between the Mekong countries and Korea, helping us to triumph over COVID-19 and begin the post-COVID-19 era together.

• Tags: Asean, South Korea