The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, Turkey, and Australia (informally known as MIKTA), met today in Mexico City to discuss global issues of common interest and strategies to enhance bilateral and plurilateral ties. Moreover, they discussed the formulation of a joint dialogue and cooperation agenda. This is the second time these Ministers have met in the past six months.

Ministers underlined their countries’ common interests and similarities in that they represent open economies that promote free trade and foreign investment; they are large democracies, and resilient economies with potential for high growth rates; they have strong domestic markets, moderate inflation rates and populations with rising purchasing power. The Ministers agreed to meet again next September in New York on the fringes on the 69th session of the UN General Assembly. Australia will convene an informal consultation of Leaders in November during the G20 leaders’ Summit in Brisbane. In September, Mexico will hand over the coordination of this dialogue to the Republic of Korea, who will facilitate consultations the following year and organize a ministerial meeting in the first semester of 2015.

The Ministers participated in two working sessions. The first was devoted to discussing the benefits of dialogue among their countries. Ministers noted that the gradual transformation of the international system opens a window of opportunity for their countries to further develop their constructive and conciliatory role in tackling pressing international issues, including frequent consultations on situations that may affect international peace and security. They recognized that this dialogue and their commitment can lead to strengthening their relationships and to establish better cooperation, including on global governance, trade and development cooperation.

Throughout the second working session, Ministers discussed the current international political situation, including Syria, Ukraine and the Korean Peninsula, and global issues of common interest such as increasing collective efforts towards making development outcomes more effective, post-2015 development agenda, cyberspace security, climate change, human rights and migration, as well as the need for UN Security Council reform. Furthermore, they agreed to enhance their dialogue on issues such as trade and development in international fora such as the United Nations and the G20.