BISHKEK, September 14. /Dunyo IA/.  A joint article by Eldor Aripov, Director of the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies and Kang Myung-il, Director of the Korean Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security (IFANS), focusing on the development of regional cooperation, has been published on the website of Kyrgyzstan’s information and analytical agency “Alliance Press”, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.

Publication notes that elevating the “Republic of Korea – Central Asia” format to the level of heads of state reflects a shift towards strategic decision-making. It highlights that the state visit of President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev to the Republic of Korea will take place during the first summit. The article states that over the past eight years, bilateral trade with Seoul has nearly doubled, Korean investments have exceeded $8 billion and around 700 enterprises with Korean capital are currently operating in Uzbekistan.

Particular emphasis is placed on humanitarian ties, including the presence of a 170,000-strong Korean diaspora in Uzbekistan and the operation of branches of leading South Korean universities. The article notes that South Korea’s modernisation experience is of significant practical interest for digitalisation and industrial cooperation in Central Asian countries.

Article concludes that the summit will lay the foundation for long-term dialogue in such areas as artificial intelligence, “green” infrastructure and critical resources.