Delhi, Seoul eye deeper strategic partnership ties
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday held talks with his South Korean counterpart Cho Hyun, focusing on bilateral cooperation and the rapidly changing global situation, the leaders said.
Jaishankar is currently in South Korea on a two-day visit — the second leg of an ongoing foreign tour - after having visited Mongolia.
“It is a great pleasure to be back in Seoul and to meet you and your team today for our discussions,” Jaishankar said in his opening remarks, noting that the meeting was timely, given the state of the world and the importance of the bilateral relationship. The talks focused on follow-up measures in the key areas of trade, investment and finance, agreed during South Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s state visit to India in April.
Jaishankar emphasised that as foreign ministers, it was their responsibility to take the relationship forward and build a more forward-looking, contemporary partnership.
“The potential of our relationship remains to be realised, and from our side, there is a full commitment that we would strive to do that,” Jaishankar said, acknowledging Cho’s personal commitment to strengthening ties.
After the meeting, he posted on X: “We reviewed our cooperation across political, shipbuilding, trade, investments, defence, technology, clean energy, culture and people-to-people domains.”
Jaishankar also said the two of them discussed opportunities in areas like startups, fintech and multilateral forums, and exchanged views on developments in their respective regions and around the world.
The discussions, held in Seoul, continued through lunch and went on for around three hours.
Cho said President Lee’s visit to India in April marked a turning point for elevating Korea-India relations to a new dimension.
“We welcome swift follow-up progress in areas such as trade, investment and finance and discussed how to build on these achievements,” he said in a post on X after the meeting.
Cho highlighted India’s hosting of “Korea Week” this week, and how it fulfilled Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to directly address challenges faced by Korean businesses in India. “I am grateful for India’s strong support, and Korea will soon host a similar dialogue for Indian companies in Korea,” he said.
The two foreign ministers also had an in-depth discussion on the rapidly changing global landscape and agreed to maintain close communication in responding to economic implications stemming from developments in West Asia, said Cho.
Jaishankar and Cho are scheduled to meet again on Thursday at the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity, where the former will deliver the keynote speech.
