The 19th Korea-Middle East Cooperation Forum was held on November 6th(Monday) in Doha, Qatar, co-hosted by the Korea-Arab Society(KAS), the Jeju Peace Institute(JPI), the Qatar Diplomatic Institute, the Middle East Council on Global Affairs(formerly Brookings Doha Center), and the Ibn Khaldun Center at Qatar University, with the sponsorship of the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Since it has been launched in 2003 as a 1.5-track initiative involving both public and private sectors, the Korea-Middle East Cooperation Forum has been alternately held in Korea and the Middle East. It has become a platform for discussions where individuals from various fields, including politics, business, academia, among others, from both Korea and the Middle East, participate to enhance mutual understanding and explore opportunities for cooperation.

 

This year's forum which was held with a theme of "Korea and the Middle East: Towards Stronger Cooperation and Partnership," held particular significance as it took place in the Middle East after a five-year gap since the 2018 event in the United Arab Emirates. The forum was attended by over 250 government officials and experts from both Korea and the Middle East.

 

*Key attendees included:

<Middle East side>

-H.E. Dr. Ahmed Al Hammadi, Secretary-General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar

-H.E. Nasser Saidi, Former Minister of Economy, Lebanon

-H.E. Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Horr, Director of the Qatar Diplomatic Institute

-Saleh Al-Khulaifi, Assistant Undersecretary for Commerce Affairs at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry of the State of Qatar

-Dr. Kadhim Niama, Former Head of the Centre of Strategic and International Studies, University of Baghdad

-Mr. Fahad Al-Sulaiti, CEO of Education Above All

-Dr. Nayef bin Nahar, Director of the Ibn Khaldun Center at Qatar University

-H.E. Dr. Khalid Al Khater, Director of the Policy and Planning Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar

-Dr. Mohannad Al-Suwaidan, Head of Natural Gas Liquids(NGL) and Chief Middle East and Africa analyst, ESAI Energy

 

<Korean side>

-H.E. Byung-won Chung, Deputy Minister for political Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Korea

-H.E. Young-hoon Kang, Director of the Jeju Peace Institute

-H.E. Chang-mo Kim, Secretary-General of the Korea-Arab Society

-H.E. Woong-yeop Song, Former Ambassador to Iran

-H.E. Jie-ae Sohn, Ambassador for Cultural Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Korea.

-Dr. Kwon-hyung Lee, Deputy President of Korea Institute for International Economic Policy(KIEP)

-Dr. Dong-suk Han, Research Associate, Center for Advanced Materials, Qatar University

-Dr. Ik-ran Eum, Assistant Professor, Dankook University, School of General Education/GCC Institute

-Dr. Gi Yeon Koo, Research Professor, Seoul National University, Asia Center

-Dr. Eunbee Kim, Associate Professor, Korea National Defense University

 

During the forum, H.E. Deputy Minister Byung-won Chung delivered a speech where he evaluated the diversification of cooperation with the Middle East, particularly through President Yoon Suk-yeol's recent visit to the region. He emphasized Korea's commitment to contribute to the stability of peace in the Middle East by fostering closer collaboration with countries in the region. Deputy Minister Chung also highlighted that as Korea begins its term as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council from next year, there is an opportunity for enhanced cooperation.

 

Furthermore, he acknowledged Qatar's ongoing efforts as a mediator in resolving conflicts and disputes in the region, especially in the current context of deteriorating regional dynamics and deepening humanitarian crises. The Deputy Minister stressed the importance of diplomacy and dialogue in resolving issues and praised Qatar's commitment to mediating conflicts in the Middle East.

 

H.E. Dr. Ahmad Al-Hammadi, the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Sate of Qatar, also mentioned in his speech that the relationship between Korea and Qatar has been elevated to a comprehensive strategic partnership, as they approach the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations next year.

 

In addition, on November 7th (Tuesday), a roundtable discussion was held to strengthen bilateral cooperation between Korea and Qatar. Economic experts from both countries were invited to discuss enhancing economic cooperation between Korea and Qatar. In Session 1, participants, including H.E. Mohammed Al Hayki, former Ambassador of Qatar to Korea, Dr. Ji-eun Lee, Senior Researcher at the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP), Dr. Ji-hyang Jang, Director of MENA Center, Asan Institute for Policy Studies, and Mr. Sehyung Lee, Team Leader at Channel A, focused on diplomatic and business relations between Korea and Qatar, discussing future directions. In Session 2, the discussion centered on energy cooperation between Korea and Qatar, with invited experts including Dr. Ahmad Abushaikha, Associate Professor at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Dr. Munsu Kang, Head of Afrika and the Middle East Team of Korea Institute for International Economic Policy(KIEP), Dr. Hyondo Park, Research Professor of the Sogang Euro-MENA Institute, Sogang University, Dr. Il-kwang Sung, Senior Research Fellow of the Sogang Euro-MENA Institute, engaging in in-depth discussions.

 

Forum participants expressed their expectation for the 20th Korea-Middle East Cooperation Forum, which will be jointly hosted by institutions from Qatar next year. They committed to continuous communication for the successful organization of the forum in the coming year.