Mayors and experts from 30 countries along the Silk Road gathered in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, to expand cultural and economic partnerships at their eighth annual meeting.

In the opening ceremony of the Silk Road Mayors Forum on Tuesday, Yeosu Mayor Kim Chung-seog said he hopes the event will pave the way for greater cooperation among the city networks and become a chance to assess Yeosu’s role as a major part of the ancient sea routes between Asia and Europe.

The opening ceremony also saw congratulatory video messages from Prime Minister Chung Hong-won and Minister of Security and Public Administration Yoo Jeong-bok.

Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Yoon Jin-sook, South Jeolla Province Gov. Park Joon-yung, Mayor Asim Guzelbey of Gaziantep, Turkey, and other high-ranking officials also made congratulatory speeches.

Keynote speeches were delivered by former Minister of Education Lee Myung-hyun, head of the Chinese delegation to the United Nations Industrial Development Organization Liang Dan, and United Nations Association of Korea vice chairman Lee Seo-hang.

On the first day of the forum, the participants held two discussions under the theme of “Harmony of Global Civilization and New Silk Road,” they held two discussions.

Shuji Shimokochi, the former Japanese ambassador to Panama and Venezuela, argued that the Silk Road community is expanding through the Panama Canal and instead should spread across the Eurasia continent.

In the second discussion, Song Eun-il, the department head of Yi Sun-shin Marine Culture Research Institute, provided the historical background for Yeosu’s geographical importance with regards to international trade.

On Wednesday, Yeosu Mayor Kim Chung-seog is to present strategies to enhance the community through infrastructure development and trade expansion.

Participants will adopt a statement to call for boosting cooperation and diversifying exchanges among the cities.

By Lee Hyun-jeong (rene@heraldcorp.com)