Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Secretary (East) Saurabh Kumar paid an official visit to South Korea and co-chaired the 5th Foreign Policy and Security Dialogue (FPSD) with his Korean counterpart Cho Hyundong.
The Indian Embassy in South Korea posted on Twitter, saying that Secretary East Amb. Saurabh Kumar met Rep Kim Tae-ho, Chairperson, Foreign Affairs & Unification Committee of RoK National Assembly @news NA, and they “exchanged views to deepen ties.” They also discussed topics of common interest, such as the Indo-Pacific and the G20.
“5th Foreign Policy meet”
“Amb. Saurabh Kumar and Kim Tae ho”
As the two nations celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations this year, both sides agreed to strengthen strategic communication through routine high-level engagements, such as the Joint Commission Meeting at the level of the Foreign Minister, the “2+2” dialogue between the Foreign Ministry, and the Defense Ministry at the Vice Minister/Secretary level, and other ministerial and senior official dialogues.
Both Countries had also committed to increasing their cooperation in areas like trade and investment, security and defense, science and technology, as well as cultural and people-to-people interactions, according to the statement.
The Secretary (East), who is in South Korea for a two-day visit, informed his colleague about the possibilities for Korean businesses to invest in India in manufacturing, infrastructure, and other sectors.
The two Countries decided to collaborate to strengthen and bolster global supply networks. They also agreed to take specific actions to attain the goal of increasing bilateral trade to USD 50 billion by 2030, noting that it was now at an all-time high of approximately USD 28 billion. In addition, both Countries addressed potential areas of cooperation in cutting-edge and novel technologies, according to the statement.
Sharing viewpoints on local, national, and international topics, such as the Indo-Pacific and Korean Peninsula situations, was made possible through FPSD. The recent announcement of the ROK’s Indo-Pacific Strategy was noticed by both parties as an opportunity to enhance and deepen their bilateral cooperation.
Both Countries discussed collaboration in multilateral fora throughout the conversation. Additionally, Saurabh Kumar gave a briefing on India’s aims for the G20 presidency. The latter acknowledged India’s efforts and pledged its complete support for the G20’s success.
Secretary (East) conducted separate discussions with Mr. Kim Kwan Yong, Executive Vice Chairman of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council, and Mr. Shin Beomchul, Vice Minister for Defense.
The Indian Embassy in Korea tweeted that Secretary East met with Vice Minister of Defense Shin Beomchul of the Republic of Korea. They decided to strengthen defense and security ties between India and the Republic of Korea, especially through industry cooperation and defense exchanges.
Additionally, Secretary East met with Kim Kwan-Yong, the RoK’s Peaceful Unification Advisory Council’s Executive Vice-Chairperson.
Secretary was apprised of developments on the Korean peninsula & RoK’s approach. They also discussed India-Korea economic cooperation, and cultural & P2P exchanges,” it added.