Finance
In addition to having bilateral talks with External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar, South Korea’s Foreign Affairs Minister Cho Hyun is expected to attend several important events during his two-day visit to India, which begins on Friday.
Lee Jaewoong, the deputy minister for public affairs and spokeswoman for South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, emphasized Thursday that the two countries will talk about measures to increase cooperation and exchanges during his visit.
“Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun will pay a bilateral visit to India from August 15 to 17. During the visit, Foreign Minister Cho will attend a number of key engagements, including a meeting with Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister of India,”‘ Lee Jaewoong told reporters during a media briefing in Seoul on Thursday.
“With this year marking the 10th anniversary of the Korea-India Special Strategic Partnership, the two sides will discuss ways to boost exchanges and cooperation with a view to deepening bilateral ties,” he added.
The South Korean Foreign Minister had his first telephone conversation with EAM Jaishankar on July 28 to exchange views on Korea-India relations and practical cooperation.
“Minister Cho reaffirmed the Korean government’s strong commitment to strengthening bilateral relations, which he had previously conveyed during the bilateral summit (June 17) on the occasion of the G7 Summit in Canada and the Presidential Delegation’s visit to India (July 16-18) . Minister Cho also called for further revitalization of high-level exchanges between the two countries and continued efforts to strengthen mutually beneficial, substantive cooperation,” read a statement issued by Seoul after the phone call.
Cho, with whom EAM Jaishankar had already established a personal rapport during his time as Ambassador to India, received congratulations on his appointment as External Affairs Minister. Additionally, he suggested that the Korea-India Special Strategic Partnership, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary, be strengthened to an unprecedented degree this year and that they collaborate to increase the strategic economic cooperation between Korea and India, which has a lot of promise.
When a group of South Korean Special Envoys visited Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi last month, he reiterated India’s commitment to furthering the India–South Korea Special Strategic Partnership. The delegation was led by South Korea’s former PM Kim Boo Kyum and included Representative Lee Kai Ho and Supreme Council Member Song Sun-ho.
“Delighted to receive the delegation of Special Envoys from the Republic of Korea led by Mr. Kim Boo Kyum. Recalled my positive meeting with President Jaemyung Lee last month. India–ROK Special Strategic Partnership, which completes 10 years, continues to grow from innovation and defence to shipbuilding and skilled mobility. Close collaboration between the democracies contributes to peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region,” PM Modi posted on X after the meeting.
The External Affairs Minister was also visited by the high-level South Korean delegation, and the two sides talked about measures to improve people-to-people contacts and strengthen cooperation in the fields of technology, economics, defense, and marine security.
In a post on X, EAM Jaishankar stated, “Delighted to meet RoK President Lee Jae Myung’s delegation of Special Envoys to India led by former PM Kim Boo-kyum this morning in Delhi. Discussed economic, technology, defence and maritime cooperation. As well as expanding people-to-people exchanges. India will engage the new administration actively and work towards further enhancing our Special Strategic Partnership.”
A “Strategic Partnership” between South Korea and India was established in 2010 and upgraded to a “Special Strategic Partnership” in 2015 during PM Modi’s state visit to Seoul. In 2023, both countries celebrated 50 years of diplomatic relations.
Source: IANS
