1. The third meeting of the Republic of Korea-Portugal Joint Cultural Committee took place at the former’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs on June 20. The head delegates to the meeting from the ROK and Portugal were Director-General for Cultural Affairs Choi Young-sam of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and President Ana Paula Laborinho of the Camões Institute for Cooperation and Language, an affiliate of the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, respectively.

2. At the meeting, the ROK and Portugal signed the bilateral “Implementing Programme on Cooperation in the Fields of Language, Culture, Education, Science, Technology, Sports, Youth and the Media for 2016-2019” with the aim to boost bilateral exchanges and cooperation in the areas.

3. The two sides agreed to continuously increase exchanges and cooperation across the board, including culture, education, science and technology, and thereby to contribute actively to efforts to enhance mutual understanding between the peoples of the two countries and the bilateral friendship. They discussed ways for substantive cooperation to this end.

4. The two sides reviewed the progress in cooperation in such fields as culture, arts, broadcasting, films and education and exchanged in-depth views on their respective policies on public diplomacy.

5. The ROK and Portugal, since concluding the bilateral Cultural Agreement in 1990, have implemented cooperation projects in various fields. Furthermore, the two countries have been convening their Joint Cultural Committee every three years since 2010, when the first of its kind was held, and continuing other efforts to make the bilateral cultural cooperation an institution between the two countries.


* unofficial translation