Page 225 - 2020 Defence White Paper

officers at the Korea Military Academy, the ROK Army College, and the ROK Air
University. As of 2020, the ROK and Uzbekistan are at the stage of expanding their
fields of exchanges and cooperation such as holding video conferences between
military medicine personnel of the two countries.
As for Kazakhstan, in 2019, President Moon visited the country on the 10th
anniversary of establishment of a "strategic partnership" between the two countries.
The ROK–Kazakhstan defense policy working-level meeting was resumed after 7
years, and it is expected to deepen and develop exchanges and cooperation between
the two countries in the f eld of defense .

Middle East The Middle East has significant value as a major supplier of
energy resources in the world. The MND has strived to streng-
then cooperation in defense and the defense industry with countries in the Middle
East.
The ROK and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have developed their relationship
in various areas, including economy, society, and culture, since the establishment
of diplomatic ties in 1980. The two countries have been continuing various forms of Chapter 6
defense cooperation since the signing of the Agreement on Military Cooperation in

2006. With the approval of the National Assembly, the ROK has been deploying the
Akh Unit to the UAE since January 2011. In March 2018, President Moon visited the
UAE to hold a summit with Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin ayed Al
Nahyan, agreeing to upgrade the bilateral relationship from "strategic partnership"
to "special strategic partnership" and to strengthen their cooperation through the
establishment of diplomatic and defense consultative meetings. The Crown Prince
visited the ROK in February 2019. In the same month, the ROK Minister of National
Defense visited the UAE to meet with the UAE Minister of State Defense. In
October, the ROK Vice Minister of National Defense again visited the UAE to hold a
diplomatic and defense vice-ministerial meeting as well as bilateral talks. The UAE
Minister of State Defense made a visit to the ROK in December, held a meeting with
the ROK Minister of National Defense and agreed to further expand and strengthen
cooperation in defense and the defense industry between the two countries,
continuing stable cooperation through active exchanges.
The ROK’s cooperation with Saudi Arabia continues to develop as well. The ROK
Vice Minister of National Defense visited Saudi Arabia in April 2019 for bilateral
talks with Saudi Arabia’s Defense Minister Assistant at the 1st ROK-Saudi Arabia
Defense Cooperation Committee, and held bilateral talks with the Chairman of the
General Staff who visited the ROK to attend the 8th SDD in September 2019. In

Chapter 6. Developing a Robust ROK–US Alliance that is Mutually Complementary and Promoting Defense Exchanges and Cooperation