Minister Kang Kyung-wha Holds Series of Talks with Iraqi and Bahraini Foreign Ministers... Discusses Bilateral Cooperation and Middle East Situation

Minister Kang Requests Government Cooperation on Projects in Iraq... Emphasizes Prompt Conclusion of Investment Protection and Double Taxation Avoidance Agreements
Minister Kang Visits Bahrain as Foreign Minister for the First Time in 35 Years... Agrees to Hold Korea-Bahrain Cooperation Committee Meeting

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] On the 5th, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha held bilateral talks with the Foreign Ministers of Iraq and Bahrain before the opening of the Manama Dialogue while visiting Bahrain to attend the 16th Manama Dialogue.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on the 4th, Minister Kang discussed bilateral cooperation amid the COVID-19 situation, economic cooperation between the two countries including the entry of Korean companies into Iraq, and the Middle East situation with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein.

Minister Kang expressed gratitude to the Iraqi government for supporting the return of Korean construction personnel in Iraq during the COVID-19 situation and evaluated the expanded cooperation between the two countries in various fields such as infrastructure, construction, defense industry, and e-government.

She also requested special attention to the participation of Korean companies in Iraq’s energy, infrastructure, and construction markets, and asked for the Iraqi government’s cooperation to ensure that ongoing projects by Korean companies in Iraq proceed safely and without disruption despite the COVID-19 situation.

In response, Minister Hussein acknowledged that Korea provided significant assistance to the Iraqi people through hospital and school construction during Korea’s deployment to Iraq and pledged to cooperate to ensure that Korean companies’ projects in Iraq proceed without disruption.

Furthermore, Minister Kang emphasized the need for the prompt conclusion of an investment protection agreement and a double taxation avoidance agreement as legal and institutional foundations to expand bilateral relations. Minister Abdullah replied that the Korea-Iraq double taxation avoidance agreement is currently undergoing domestic procedures and that both sides will cooperate for its prompt signing. The two sides also exchanged views on the rapidly changing Middle East situation.

Subsequently, Minister Kang discussed bilateral cooperation, the Middle East situation, and cooperation on the international stage with Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani.

Minister Kang highly appreciated the successful holding of the Manama Dialogue as an in-person meeting amid the COVID-19 situation and evaluated that bilateral relations are cooperating in various fields including energy, construction, and infrastructure. Minister Abdullatif expressed agreement that the visit by Minister Kang to Bahrain should serve as an opportunity to further strengthen cooperation between the two countries, and both ministers agreed to cooperate bilaterally and multilaterally in response to COVID-19.

As foreign ministers, they agreed to hold the Korea-Bahrain Joint Cooperation Committee at a mutually convenient time in the future to establish regular communication between the two countries, marking the first visit in 35 years. Minister Kang also highly evaluated the normalization of relations between Bahrain and Israel as a decisive step contributing to regional stability and peace, and the two ministers exchanged in-depth views on the recent rapidly changing Middle East situation including the Abraham Accords.

Additionally, Minister Kang requested support for the Korean candidate to the International Law Commission (ILC) and positive consideration of Bahrain’s accession to the International Vaccine Institute (IVI).