Government Reconsiders Hosting of ‘United Nations Peacekeeping Ministers’ Meeting on Proliferation of Omicron

Foreign ministers and defense ministers from 155 countries are invited and planned to be held next week… Korea-Africa Forum also affected

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kyung-yun Kim = Due to the spread of Omicron, a new variant of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it is reviewing the holding of large-scale international conferences, including the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial Meeting scheduled for next month.

Ahn Eun-ju, deputy spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a regular briefing on the 30th, “As the omicron mutation is rapidly spreading, the government is reviewing the overall event that was scheduled to be held in December.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was scheduled to invite the foreign and defense ministers of 155 countries from the 7th to the 8th of next month to hold the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial Meeting, the highest-level consultative body related to the UN’s peacekeeping operations (PKO), and the Korea-Africa Forum in Seoul from the 9th to the 10th. .

However, it is not easy to conduct such a large-scale international conference as it is because omicron mutations occur mainly in Africa and countries are locking them.

When asked about the possibility of a full postponement of the UN peacekeeping ministerial meeting, a foreign ministry official said, “We are discussing with various options,” and said, “We are carefully discussing with the UN.”

It is known that the Korea-Africa Forum is also discussing the progress of the meeting with the African Union (AU), the co-host.

Measures are also being taken to protect the country where the omicron mutation has occurred and the citizens of neighboring countries.

The official explained, “Through diplomatic missions abroad, we contacted local Korean associations and local business associations to guide our Korean community on compliance with hygiene rules to prevent the spread of mutations, and we will continue to provide consular assistance necessary to minimize damage.”

It is reported that there are currently no Koreans infected with the Omicron mutation.

Omicron mutation is a mutated virus that spreads rapidly and is difficult to detect even with PCR test, and is occurring mainly in some African countries.

As of midnight on the 28th, the Central Quarantine Countermeasures Headquarters banned the entry of all foreigners entering Korea from eight countries: South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, and Malawi. one state.

heeva@yna.co.kr

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2021/11/30 16:15 Send