South Korea and the five Central Asian republics held their first heads-of-state summit in Seoul on Wednesday, adopting a 30-year cooperation framework targeting critical minerals, energy, supply chains and emerging technologies against the backdrop of a shared Silk Road history. The declaration established a leaders’ summit that brings together South Korea, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan every two years, and a new mechanism that brings together the six countries’ industry ministers. The six countries share common goals: Seoul needs more diverse sources of critical materials and more resilient supply chains, while Central Asian governments want technology, investment and a larger role in manufacturing the products made from their resources.
On critical minerals, South Korea is looking to diversify supplies for industries including semiconductors, batteries and electric vehicles, while Central Asian countries want more processing and manufacturing to take place inside the region. The Seoul Declaration, which builds on a dialogue launched at the vice-ministerial level in 2007 and later elevated to the ministerial level, calls for “mutually beneficial value chains” that combine Central Asian resources and local production with Korean technology and manufacturing expertise. Mirziyoyev proposed a Regional Investment Alliance for Critical Minerals covering the full production cycle, and set a $20 billion (€17.3 billion) target for trade between South Korea and Central Asia by 2030.
Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov pushed the regional approach further, proposing a joint investment fund to finance priority projects and make it easier for Korean companies to enter Central Asian markets. Transport was another key segment to the summit, with Tokayev proposing an “end-to-end transport and logistics chain extending from Korea, through Central Asia, to Europe”. Central to that idea is the Middle Corridor, formally known as the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route.
It moves freight through Central Asia, across the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan and Georgia, and onwards towards European markets through Turkey or the Black Sea. The corridor has attracted growing attention as companies and governments seek alternatives to routes through Russia. Tokayev said its freight volumes had increased fivefold over the past six years.
Mirziyoyev also described Central Asia as an emerging “hub of global connectivity”, while Japarov highlighted the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway and invited Korean companies to participate in industrial and logistics facilities along the route. Turkmenistan put transport, logistics, energy and industrial cooperation among its priorities for deeper ties with South Korea. Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, meanwhile, focused on water security, climate change and sustainable development.
The regional agenda moved from the leaders’ table to the business community later in the day, when more than 500 government and company representatives gathered for the first Korea–Central Asia Business Summit. Lee Jae-myung described the priorities in practical terms: broader trade and investment, cooperation across the critical-minerals value chain and new infrastructure connecting the region with international markets. Tokayev pointed to Central Asia’s combined GDP of nearly $550 billion and growth of more than 6%.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
