1. On the occasion of the 2nd Ministerial Meeting of the Stockholm Initiative on Nuclear Disarmament and the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) held in Berlin, the Federal Republic of Germany, on February 25, Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang, Kyung-wha had a meeting with Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of Germany Heiko Maas on the afternoon of February 25, local time, and discussed responses to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 (P4G) Summit, and the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

2. Minister Kang introduced the COVID-19 situation in the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the progress in the ROK government’s response to the virus; explained that the ROK government has recently been doing its utmost in preventing the spread of COVID-19 by preemptively raising the national infectious disease risk alert level to the highest “serious” level, mobilizing all available resources, and thereby drastically bolstering the government-wide response system; and proposed that the ROK and German governments closely share situations and continue consultations regarding the fight against COVID-19.

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° Minister Maas, commending the ROK government’s response to COVID-19, mentioned that the German government will continue consultations with the ROK government on the issue.

3. Minister Kang spoke about the P4G Summit to be held in the ROK in late June 2020, asking for active participation of the German government, which is playing a leading role in the area of environment.

° Minister Maas, commending the ROK government’s plan to host the 2nd P4G Summit and its efforts to respond to climate change, mentioned that Germany will consider attending the P4G Summit.

4. The two Ministers discussed the situation on the Korean Peninsula, and Minister Maas took note of the ROK government’s efforts toward complete denuclearization and the establishment of permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula, adding that Germany will continue to actively support the ROK government’s efforts.

5. Minister Maas extended appreciation to Minister Kang for attending the Ministerial Meeting of the Stockholm Initiative. The two Ministers agreed that, as like-minded countries, the ROK and Germany will continue close consultations on multilateral diplomatic issues, including disarmament.

6. The two Ministers also agreed to further deepen bilateral and multilateral cooperation by maintaining the momentum of high-level exchanges.