By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter

Korea will designate next year as the "Year of Kazakhstan" as part of efforts to strengthen ties with Central Asian nations, a foreign ministry official said Monday.

In a related move, the nation will host a three-day forum in Seoul from Wednesday with five countries in the region participating to share their experience on economic development.

"Next year will be the Year of Kazakhstan and President Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev is expected to visit Korea," the official said on condition of anonymity.

Around 10 cooperation projects led by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy are under review, he said, declining to elaborate.

Korea invited vice ministerial officials from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to attend the annual forum.

The official noted that Korea is the only country to hold such a forum with those countries on a regular basis.

"It is difficult to draw joint cooperation from those countries owing to differing interests," he said. "But they tend to consider Korea as a role model for the modernization and diversification of their industries, so I believe we can continue the forum next year."

Those to attend the event include Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Shin Gak-soo; Kazakhstan's Vice Minister Nurlan Yermekbayev; and Uchkunbek Tashbaev, deputy head of Kyrgyzstan's Central Agency on Development, Investments and Innovations.

They will discuss political, economic, social and cultural issues and ways to support companies from Korea and the five countries, the official said.

On Thursday, the forum will be centered on bilateral investment and a day later, senior officials participating in the forum will inspect a thermal power plant in Yeonghung and the international business district in Songdo, Incheon.

Seoul is currently conducting several projects with the five Central Asian countries.

Six projects are underway, including the construction of $2.5-billion thermal power plant in Kazakhstan and the exploration of a gas field in Uzbekistan.

The official said Uzbekistan's First Deputy Prime Minister Rustam Azimov will visit Korea during the forum and discuss the development of the Surgil gas field which is likely to cost $3 billion.

About 70 million to 150 million tones of gas are estimated to be buried in the area, he added.

Korea imports about 25 million tones of gas every year.

ksy@koreatimes.co.kr