By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, attended the Uzbekistan national football team match at the Bunyodkor Stadium on June 10, the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Seoul said. The final World Cup qualifying stage game became a true celebration of Uzbek football. However, Uzbekistan players had already secured a place at the World Cup ahead of schedule: for the first time in history, the Uzbekistan national team will participate in the FIFA World Cup! A dream cherished for many years by millions of fans has become a reality. Previously, the t
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo From May 29 to 31, 2025, Dushanbe, Tajikistan, hosted the First High-Level International Conference on Glaciers’ Preservation. The event commenced with an opening address by the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Leader of the Nation, Honourable Emomali Rahmon. President Rahmon extended a warm welcome to the high-level participants, wishing the conference great success. He underscored the conference's significance as a crucial step towards the implementation of the United Nations resolution declaring 2025 the "International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation.
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Leader of the Nation, Honorable Emomali Rahmon, received Ms. Mafalda Duarte, Executive Director of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) on May 30, 2025. Ms. Duarte's visit to Dushanbe was for her participation in the inaugural High-Level International Conference on Glacier Preservation. During their meeting, President Rahmon conveyed his expectation that the Green Climate Fund would play a crucial role in achieving the conference's goals and in advancing worldwide initiatives to combat the accelerated melting of glaciers. Ke
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee The Ministry of Foreign Affairs held the launching ceremony for the 2025 「Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC) Young Leaders」on May 9 at the ministry’s Mofamaru Hall in Seoul. FEALAC, composed of 36 member countries, is an inter-regional multilateral forum launched in 1999 with the aim of promoting better understanding between East Asia and Latin America. Korea has played an active role by hosting and operating the FEALAC Cyber Secretariat since 2011 and leading the establishment of the FEALAC Cooperation Fund. Now in its 7th term, the FEALAC Yo
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The following article was contributed by Dr. Mohammed Mustafa Juma Almuntafeky, Head of Mission of the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq in Seoul, to Diplomacy Journal for publication. –Ed. The Iraqi economy has witnessed significant and remarkable improvements over the past few years. According to the latest international economic indicators, Iraq has entered a new phase of recovery and growth, amid significant transformations that reflect a tangible improvement in economic performance and enhance confidence in the national economy among local and international
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Cardinal Robert Prevost of the United States has been elected the first US pontiff in the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church and has taken the name Pope Leo XIV, the Vatican News reported. Pope Leo made his first public appearance to impart a blessing from the roofed area of St Peter’s Basilica. In his first public words, Pope Leo told the faithful “peace be with all of you”. He emphasised the theme of peace throughout the address. He told the crowd, “Evil will not prevail; we are in the hands of God. So without fear, united hand in hand with God and amo
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The following article was contributed by Dr. Eldor Aripov, Director of the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, Chairman, Gulf Research Center (GRC), to Diplomacy Journal for publication through the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Seoul. –Ed. In recent years, relations between Central Asia (CA) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have shown a steady and positive dynamic. The economic potential of the CA and GCC countries, complemented by a deepening political dialogue, mutual intere
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo From Rio to Ajaccio, circumnavigating the globe dozens of times if you consider the sheer number of kilometres travelled, Pope Francis’ 47 Apostolic Visits abroad took him and his message of closeness to every continent and almost every corner of the earth, the Vatican News reported. Throughout the years and journeys, it became increasingly clear that he set the tone immediately when he was photographed upon his departure to Brazil in 2013, carrying his little black bag as he climbed the steps into the aircraft. Then, during the flight, he walked up and down th
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo Pope Francis, the first Latin American pontiff who charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor, has died on April 21 at the age of 88, the AP reported. The pope, who had recently been hospitalized and recovered due to severe pneumonia, was resuming his activities after returning to the Vatican. “At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of his Church,″ Cardinal Kevin Ferrell, the Vatican camerlengo, said in an announcement. Francis, who
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo | The second Kurultai (Assembly) of Kazakhs of Asian countries took place in Seoul, South Korea on April 5~6, bringing together over 200 participants, including members of the Kazakh community from Korea, Malaysia, Japan, China, and Mongolia. The event was organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the Republic of Korea, the "Otandastar Foundation," and the "Qazaq Nomad" Kazakh Association in Seoul. The gathering was held at the Global Campus of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. The main goal of the Kurultai was to strengthen cultural ties an
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The following article was contributed by the Embassy of Tajikistan in Korea to Diplomacy Journal for publication. –Ed. Organized by the Committee for Environmental Protection under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan, in collaboration with an international expert and the Asian Development Bank, the seminar was titled "Strengthening Scientific Reporting on the Issues of Melting and Glacier Protection" held on April 8th in Dushanbe. The training seminar, "Strengthening Scientific Reporting on the Issues of Melting and Glacier Protection," was conducted w
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The following article is an exclusive interview given by the President of Uzbekistan to Euronews on the eve of the first Central Asia-European Union summit to be held in Samarkand on April 3-4 this year. It was contributed by the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Seoul to Diplomacy Journal for publication. –Ed. The upcoming summit in Samarkand will be truly historic as it will bring together for the first time the leaders of the five Central Asian countries and the EU in one place, Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said in a Euronews exclusive. The Central Asia-EU
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo On March 31 2025, Presidents Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan, Sadyr Japarov of Kyrgyzstan, and Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan celebrated the international holiday of Navruz at the '20th Anniversary of Independence of Tajikistan' stadium. The event featured a joint cultural program showcasing artists from all three nations. President Rahmon, in his address, extended warm Navruz greetings to the visiting heads of state, the people of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, and international guests in Khujand. Highlighting Navruz's significance, President Rahmon em
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The following article was contributed by the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Seoul to Diplomacy Journal for publication. –Ed. In recent years, Uzbekistan and the European Union have been steadily expanding their trade, economic, investment, and financial-technical cooperation. The most active bilateral engagements across various levels have taken place over the past eight years, driven by the focused policy of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Strengthening political dialogue and supporting reforms have become key pillars of both bilater
By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The following article was contributed by Academician Prof. Akmal Saidov, Deputy of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis (Parliament) of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Vice-President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (2020-2023), to Diplomacy Journal for publication through the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Seoul. –Ed. In April 2025, Tashkent will host the 150th anniversary Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) for the first time in the history of Central Asia. This event brings together over 2000 parliamentarians from more than 100 national parliaments,