- The 「15th NEAR High-Level Working Committee」 was successfully held in the Republic of Buryatia, Russia, with the participation of 33 member governments from seven countries and five diplomatic corps.
- NEAR expanded to 96 regional member governments from 10 countries with the admission of six new members, including Okinawa Prefecture of Japan, the Republic of Tatarstan of Russia, East Kazakhstan Region of Kazakhstan, and three regions of Myanmar.
- The Russian Foreign Minister highly praised NEAR's role in promoting cooperation among regional governments in Northeast Asia.
「The NEAR High-Level Working Committee」 was successfully held from June 17 to 19, 2026, in Ulan-Ude, the Republic of Buryatia, the Chair Government of NEAR. The meeting brought together more than 100 participants, including representatives from 33 member governments across seven countries such as China, Japan (via video), Korea, Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Myanmar (via video) as well as five diplomatic corps.
Although overall attendance was somewhat reduced due to changes in the international landscape and the local elections in the Republic of Korea, the meeting was attended by many high-level officials, including 10 vice governor-level (or higher) officials and 20 director general-level officials. Their participation underscored the continued strong commitment to and interest in strengthening cooperation among regional governments in Northeast Asia despite the challenging external environment.
In particular, prior to the opening of the High-Level Working Committee, Head of the Republic of Buryatia Aleksey Tsydenov held separate a meeting with 29 representatives, including three governors, seven vice governors, 11 director general-level and deputy director general-level officials and representatives of regional governments, as well as diplomats. During the meeting, they strengthened mutual friendship and exchanged extensive views on expanding interregional exchanges and promoting joint development.
At the meeting, remarks were delivered by Aleksey Tsydenov, Head of the Republic of Buryatia; Lim Byung-jin, Secretary General of NEAR; Lkhagvan Tumurbaatar, Governor of Khuvsgul Province; Kim Borisov, Deputy Prime Minister of the Sakha Republic; Lee Jae-hoon, Director General for Economy and Trade of Gyeongsangbuk-do Province; and Li Bingbing, Deputy Director General of the Foreign Affairs Office of Henan Province.
The opening ceremony began with a welcome address by Aleksey Tsydenov, Head of the Republic of Buryatia, followed by the opening remarks of Lim Byung-jin, Secretary General of NEAR. Congratulatory remarks were then delivered by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (read on his behalf by Director Kaprin of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Igor Kobzev, Governor of Irkutsk Oblast (via video), Tumurchudur, Governor of Tuv Province of Mongolia, and Georgy Zinoviev, Russian Ambassador to Korea. In their remarks, the speakers congratulated NEAR’s 30th anniversary and highly commended the positive role that NEAR plays in promoting cooperation among regional governments in Northeast Asia.
In particular, in a congratulatory message delivered on his behalf by Director Kaprin of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov noted “over the past 30 years, NEAR has served as a valuable platform for regional cooperation, contributing to the promotion of friendship and mutual understanding not only in Northeast Asia but across Eurasia. With the recent participation of regional governments from Central Asia and Southeast Asia, NEAR's scope of activities has continued to expand, and their contribution to our concerted efforts are expected to come.”
During the plenary session, three agenda items were approved: the admission of Okinawa Prefecture of Japan as a member; the admission of the Republic of Tatarstan of Russia, East Kazakhstan Region of Kazakhstan, and Myanmar's Mandalay Region, Yangon Region, and Shan State as associate members; and the establishment of the Vocational Education Subcommittee proposed by Gansu Province, China. With the approval, NEAR expanded its membership to 96 regional governments from 10 countries, extending its reach beyond Northeast Asia to include Central Asia and Southeast Asia, and further strengthening its position as a multilateral platform for interregional cooperation. In addition, the number of NEAR subcommittees increased to 18, further enhancing the cooperation framework for each thematic sector.
The plenary session also featured the activities outcome report by the NEAR Secretariat, the General Assembly outcome report by Liaoning Province, China, and Shandong Province’s outcome reports on Marine and Fisheries Subcommittee, and Krasnoyarsk Krai’s outcome report on Youth Policy Subcommittee. In addition, policy presentations and regional promotion sessions were delivered by Irkutsk Oblast and the Sakha Republic of Russia, Henan Province of China, Pohang City of Korea, Dundgovi Province of Mongolia, and Khabarovsk Krai of Russia.
In a special address on the 「Future Development of NEAR」 by Aleksey Tsydenov, Head of the Republic of Buryatia, the NEAR Chair government, emphasized that member governments should pool their strengths on the basis of mutual respect and trust and further expand practical cooperation. He also proposed the establishment of an AI-powered trade and industrial cooperation platform to strengthen substantive economic cooperation among NEAR member governments.
In particular, at this meeting, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs dispatched a director general-level official to read out the congratulatory message of Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Key members of the diplomatic corps also attended, including Russian Ambassador to Korea, Korean Consul General in Irkutsk, and Mongolian Consul General in Ulan-Ude. Their participation demonstrated strong support and willingness for cooperation at the central government level, while they highly valued NEAR’s role in promoting cooperation among regional governments in Northeast Asia and acknowledged its practical usefulness. As a result, NEAR’s international standing was significantly enhanced.
Meanwhile, Lim Byung-jin, Secretary General of NEAR, met with representatives of member governments from various countries during the occasion. He expressed his gratitude for their participation and exchanged a wide range of views on ways to further develop NEAR.
