1. The Republic of Korea has become the first Northeast Asian country to join the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF), which is comprised of a combined 80-odd members and observers and represents some 274 million French speakers across the world.

2. At the 16th Francophonie Summit in Antananarivo, Madagascar, on November 26 and 27, leaders of OIF member countries decided by consensus to grant OIF observer status to the ROK. Minister of Science, ICT and Future Planning Choi Yang-hee, special envoy of the President to the Summit, delivered a special address regarding the ROK’s accession to the OIF as an observer.

° The Minister, bringing attention to the ROK government’s policy efforts to promote the French language, expressed the ROK’s willingness to play a role in international efforts to safeguard international peace, security and human rights , and to share with other countries its experiences in development cooperation and economic growth and thereby contribute to international peace and prosperity, drawing positive response from delegations from member states of the OIF.

3. By becoming the first OIF observer from Northeast Asia, the ROK is seen to have paved the way for closer cooperation with French-speaking countries. Furthermore, the ROK, which has expressed its commitment to enhance relations with Africa, the region with the largest number of OIF members, is expected to see its horizon of middle power diplomacy expand into the French-speaking world.

4. During his visit to Madagascar, special envoy Choi met with the President and the Foreign Minister of the country, during which the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to advance the bilateral relations through the ROK embassy opened in July and active high-level exchanges.

° The government of Madagascar pointed out the need to conclude as soon as possible the agreements on the avoidance of double taxation and on the protection of investment in order to step up economic cooperation and investment; and expressed its willingness to coordinate closely with the ROK in addressing North Korea’s nuclear and missile issues.

5. Special envoy Choi also met with OIF Secretary-General Adama Ouane to seek out concrete cooperation projects in fields with great potential for cooperation, including education, information and communications technology and science.


* unofficial translation