(Johannesburg = Yonhap News) Reporters Lim Hyeong-seop and Hwang Yun-gi = President Lee Jae-myung, who is visiting South Africa to attend the G20 summit, presided over a summit of the leaders of the five major economies, MIKTA, in Johannesburg on the 22nd (local time).
MIKTA consists of five countries, including Korea, Mexico, Indonesia, Turkey, and Australia, and Korea has been serving as the chair for one year since February of this year.
The meeting, chaired by the president, was attended by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Indonesian Vice President Gibran Racabuming Raca, and Mexican Finance Minister Edgar Amador Zamora.
The participants agreed on the importance of restoring multilateralism and making substantial progress in cooperation among nations to address the common challenges facing the international community, and adopted a joint press statement to this effect, the Office of the President announced in a press release.
In a joint press release, they said,"MIKTA aims to contribute to strengthening global multilateralism by serving as a bridge between developed and developing countries," and "This year is a critical juncture where we must reaffirm MIKTA's identity and role."
He continued,"We are deeply concerned about the complex and multifaceted challenges facing the international community, including ongoing geopolitical tensions, global economic uncertainty, and the complexity of supply chains," and emphasized,"In this context, MIKTA will play a constructive role in building a sustainable international order through close coordination among its member countries."
Regarding the issue of gender equality, he explained,"The leaders agreed to prioritize the full, safe, equal and meaningful participation of women in all spheres."
Meanwhile, the leaders also stated in the statement that they"expressed continued support for the three priority tasks of the Republic of Korea, which holds the presidency this year: peacebuilding, youth, and accelerating the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals."
