Strengthening Political and Strategic Cooperation

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1 Joint Statement Between the Government of the Republic of Korea and the Government of the Netherlands on the occasion of the Summit in Seoul on 27 September Prime Minister Mark Rutte of the Netherlands and President Park Geun-hye of the Republic of Korea (the ROK) held a summit in Seoul on 27 September 2016 on the occasion of the official visit of Prime Minister Mark Rutte to the ROK from 26 to 29 September. 2. The leaders took note with great satisfaction of the broad cooperation that has developed between the two countries over the last 55 years of diplomatic relations in all areas of mutual interest at the bilateral, regional and global levels. The leaders reaffirmed that the bilateral relations between the Republic of Korea and the Netherlands are deeply rooted in shared values of freedom, democracy, human rights, rule of law and market economy. 3. The President of the ROK recognized the noble sacrifices and contribution of soldiers of the Netherlands during the Korean War, and the Prime Minister of the Netherlands welcomed the remarkable progress that the Republic of Korea has achieved in industrialization and democratization from the ashes of the Korean War in just half a century. 4. To further consolidate, deepen and diversify their cooperation, the two leaders jointly decided to upgrade their bilateral relations to a comprehensive and future-oriented partnership. They reaffirmed their willingness to broaden and enhance their partnership by advancing cooperation in the following fields: (I) strengthening political and strategic cooperation; (II) enhancing economic cooperation; (III) deepening mutual understanding; and (IV) advancing global cooperation. Strengthening Political and Strategic Cooperation 5. The leaders jointly decided to strengthen political dialogue by maintaining the momentum for highlevel exchanges. To this end, they jointly agreed to hold regular bilateral consultations alternately in the ROK and the Netherlands at Deputy-Ministerial level to discuss issues of common interest. The next political consultation meeting is expected to take place in the ROK in The leaders condemned in the strongest terms North Korea s nuclear tests on 6 January, and 9 September 2016, and its repeated ballistic missile launches and continuation of its nuclear program including the recent resumption of spent nuclear fuel reprocessing, which are clear violations of relevant UN Security Council resolutions and pose a grave threat to international peace and security. The leaders reaffirmed the importance of full and effective implementation of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions in achieving the denuclearization of North Korea. In this regard, the leaders jointly decided to work closely together in further strengthening international cooperation so that North Korea shall abandon all its nuclear weapons and existing 1

2 nuclear programs in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner, and immediately cease all related activities. 7. The leaders also reaffirmed their determination to coordinate international efforts to address the gross human rights violations and other human rights abuses committed in North Korea in order to expand opportunities for its people to enjoy universally respected human rights and fundamental freedoms. Enhancing Economic Cooperation 8. The leaders took note with great satisfaction of the robust trade relations between the two countries and shared the ambition to increase their trade volumes by supporting trade and stimulating economic cooperation through trade promotion activities and cooperation, making full use of the instruments established within the context of the Free Trade Agreement between the Republic of Korea and the European Union and its Member States which entered into force on 1 July Building on the Agreement on Economic and Technological Cooperation between the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Government of the Republic of Korea which entered into force on 1 August 1983, the leaders jointly decided to establish a bilateral Joint Economic Committee to discuss economic issues of mutual interest. Experts and advisors from the private sector will be invited to the Committee. 9. The leaders jointly decided to strengthen ties in the field of creative economy and industries with the aim of improving quantity and quality in production, business, innovation and education through workshops, exchange of knowledge, exhibitions, seminars and other activities. The leaders jointly decided to share knowledge and experiences between the Korean creative economy and Dutch innovation economy with regard to their respective startup ecosystems, and the promotion of bilateral exchanges and collaboration startup projects. The leaders also jointly agreed to sign an Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of technology and innovation in order to lay a firm foundation for the promotion of Research and Development (R&D) activities that focus on seeking a new growth engine. 10. The leaders reaffirmed their willingness to cooperate in maintaining a favorable investment climate and invigorate investment especially through SMEs so that companies and investments may contribute to the benefit and prosperity of both countries, building on the Memorandum of Understanding between the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) and the Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers (VNO-NCW) as well as the Memorandum of Cooperation between the Korean Trade Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) and the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA). The leaders also reaffirmed their willingness to remove regulatory obstacles and enhance an enabling environment for business in order to encourage a significant boost to the flow of trade and investment in the upcoming decade. 2

3 11. The leaders jointly decided to cooperate on the transition of the Korean agricultural sector towards a solid, modern, innovative and prosperous business and identify possibilities for joint agricultural research and innovation projects involving knowledge institutes and companies. The leaders also jointly decided to cooperate on enhancing their bilateral agricultural trade and trilaterally developing the agricultural sectors in third countries. The leaders, referring to the National Capital Integrated Coastal Development (NCICD) water management cooperation project in Indonesia, agreed to explore opportunities to broaden trilateral cooperation to other countries in Asia and beyond and other sectors, including agriculture, port development and energy. 12. The leaders jointly decided to promote bilateral dialogue, exchange of information, views and experiences on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and the use of antimicrobials with a view to sharing knowledge and better addressing AMR and cooperate in the global discussion on AMR. 13. The leaders reaffirmed their willingness to cooperate, where appropriate with leading energy players, and to look for viable solutions in the energy industry, especially but not exclusively in the areas of nuclear energy and renewable energy such as offshore wind energy. The leaders appreciated the successful implementation of the Oyster Project and underlined the necessity to achieve greater success in the area. The leaders reaffirmed their support for cooperation between Korean and Dutch firms and knowledge institutes in the field of offshore wind energy through the steady implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Korea Wind Energy Industry Association (KWEIA) and Holland Home of Wind Energy (HHWE), and for the increase in bilateral dialogue and research on green growth, green technology, clean energy and climate change issues. 14. The leaders reaffirmed their willingness to promote dialogue and support initiatives with regard to boosting female economic activity and inclusive economic development. The leaders recognized the need to address the challenges that come with ageing societies as well as to enhance the use of science and technology to address these challenges. The leaders jointly decided to enhance the exchange of experiences and good practice in the area of urban policies, especially to address common challenges in this area, including those arising from demographic dynamics and climate change. 15. The leaders identified common interests in statistical production utilizing big data technology and jointly agreed to sign an Memorandum of Understanding on the statistical use of big data, which will create opportunities to work on various joint projects, including joint research on the use of big data, data analysis techniques and data integration methods. 3

4 Deepening Mutual Understanding 16. Recognizing its mutual goal of strengthening people-to-people ties, the leaders jointly decided to enhance exchanges and cooperation in the fields of culture, tourism, and sports with particular attention to opportunities arising from the Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games in The leaders welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding in relation to a Working Holiday Program between the Republic of Korea and the Netherlands, and looked forward to forging even closer relations and deepening mutual understanding among their citizens. 18. To deepen mutual understanding and friendships among all generations of the two countries, the leaders jointly decided to promote the exchange of students, researchers and lecturers and to enhance cooperation among academic institutions. Advancing Global Cooperation 19. The leaders jointly decided to promote bilateral dialogue on international law and the peaceful settlement of disputes, and in this regard, to cooperate in enhancing outreach activities to achieve universality of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and the Hague Conference on International Private Law, among others. 20. The leaders jointly decided to review options to strengthen the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and the broader nuclear non-proliferation regime and advance cooperation on nuclear security as part of the Nuclear Security Summit Troika. The two sides also jointly decided to promote the sharing of best practices on biosecurity in relation to the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC). 21. The leaders recognized the importance of enhancing the application of international law to cyber activities by States, securing the observance of norms of responsible State behavior, establishing additional norms, and promoting confidence building measures (CBMs), in order to prevent conflict and maintain international peace and security in cyberspace. The leaders recognized the importance of addressing cybersecurity threats and highlighted the opportunities of a free, open and secure Internet for the global economy. As founding partners of the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise (GFCE) to improve cyber capacity building, the leaders reaffirmed their commitment to share expertise and strengths for practical international cooperation. The leaders jointly decided to review options for bilateral cooperation on cybersecurity research and development that responds to the needs of the industry and governments. 4

5 22. The leaders jointly decided to promote dialogue and the exchange of good practices with the aim to act jointly regarding all acts of terrorism and in the prevention of violent extremism and to encourage the sharing of methods and practices thereof, while underlining the importance of respecting human rights values and the protection of privacy and personal data in accordance with international and domestic law. The leaders also jointly decided to enhance cooperation in the context of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, as reviewed in June 2016, and jointly promote relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council in order to counter terrorism effectively. 23. The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to cooperate on human rights at the international level by working together both bilaterally and in the United Nations. 24. The leaders acknowledged the mutual benefits of exchanging views on development policies including specific policies on sustainable development. The leaders recognized the importance of global cooperation to achieve the goals of the 2030 Agenda. In this regard, the leaders reaffirmed their willingness to work closely in coordinating their domestic and international policies to tackle global challenges in development cooperation. 25. The leaders welcomed the Paris Agreement adopted at the COP21 held in December 2015 and acknowledged the importance of its early entry into force as well as its successful implementation. 5