On Monday, December 8, NEAR Secretary-General Lim Byung-jin met with Georgy Zinoviev, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Korea, who was visiting Gyeongju to attend the 2025 NEAR International Forum. During the meeting, they discussed matters of mutual interest.
Secretary-General Lim expressed his appreciation to the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Korea and the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Busan for their strong commitment to cooperation with the NEAR Secretariat and for actively supporting the expansion of exchanges with Russian member governments. In particular, he conveyed his gratitude for the Embassy’s assistance during the process by which the Republic of Tatarstan submitted its application in November to become an associate member of NEAR, as the first region outside the Siberian Federal District and the Far Eastern Federal District to do so.
Secretary-General Lim further noted that, amid the currently strained Korea–Russia relations, exchanges between Korean and Russian local governments and assemblies through the NEAR platform can serve as a stabilizing factor to prevent further deterioration of bilateral relations and as a stepping stone toward future recovery. In this regard, he requested Ambassador Zinoviev’s continued interest and support.
He also requested the Ambassador's assistance in encouraging the participation of all member governments—particularly those that have been relatively inactive—in the High-Level Officers Meeting and General Assembly to be held in the Republic of Buryatia.
Ambassador Georgy Zinoviev highly evaluated NEAR’s contributions to promoting friendly relations and cooperative development among regional governments in Northeast Asia despite the complex international environment. He expressed his hope that, as the Republic of Buryatia is currently serving as the Chair Member of NEAR, the High-Level Officers Meeting and the Traditional Medicine Subcommittee scheduled for next year would help revitalize multifaceted cooperation between Russian regional governments and their regional partners.
He also expressed his appreciation for the numerous exchanges conducted this year between Korean local governments—such as Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, and Pohang City—and their Russian counterparts with the support of the NEAR Secretariat, and stated his hope that bilateral exchanges between Korean and Russian local governments would continue to expand during Buryatia’s term as Chair Member.