President Lee: "Time to Prepare for the Next 30 Years with Central Asia... 'Silk Road Spirit' Needed More Than Ever"

Korea-Central Asia Summit Held with Five Nations on the 16th

Lee: "Our Cooperation Will Accelerate Shared Prosperity"

President Lee Jae-myung stated at the Korea-Central Asia Five Nations Summit on the 16th, "It is time for us to prepare together for the next 30 years, building upon the foundation of cooperation we have established over the past three decades."

President Lee made these remarks during his opening address at the summit held in Seoul with the heads of state of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan.

President Lee Jae-myung is taking a commemorative photo with the heads of state attending the 1st Korea-Central Asia Summit of 2026, held at a hotel in Seoul on the 16th. From the left are Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of Uzbekistan; Emomali Rahmon, President of Tajikistan; Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kazakhstan; President Lee; Sadyr Japarov, President of Kyrgyzstan; Serdar Berdimuhamedov, President of Turkmenistan. 2026.9.16 Yonhap News Agency

President Lee explained, "Today, the world is entering a true era of great transformation where the economy and security are closely interconnected—ranging from supply chains and energy to markets and technology. The 'Spirit of the Silk Road' in Central Asia, which once connected people, technologies, and cultures between East and West, is more relevant than ever."

He continued, "Over 90 years ago, our ethnic Korean compatriots took root in Central Asia and began serving as a strong bridge linking Korea and Central Asia. Based on these long-standing historical ties, Korea and the five Central Asian nations have built a broad partnership and trust—spanning trade and investment, industry and infrastructure, as well as education and culture."

President Lee also said, "The unique strengths that Korea and Central Asia each possess offer limitless opportunities to solve our respective challenges together. Above all, I believe that when our cooperation expands beyond each nation to the regional level, it will bring the shared prosperity of our future even closer."

He concluded his opening address by saying, "I hope that our meeting today will serve as an important milestone for a new leap forward, and together with the people of Korea, I sincerely welcome you to our country."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.