External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar held a meeting with his South Korean counterpart Cho Hyun in Seoul on Wednesday and reviewed cooperation across shipbuilding, trade, investments, defence, technology, clean energy, culture and P2P domains.
EAM Jaishankar and Cho Hyun also spoke about opportunities in startups, fintech and multilateral fora. Following their meeting, EAM Jaishankar in a post on X wrote, "Pleased to meet FM Cho Hyun of RoK in Seoul today. Our discussions followed upon the outcomes of recent visit of President Lee Jae Myung to India.
We reviewed our cooperation across political, shipbuilding, trade, investments, defence, technology, clean energy, culture and P2P domains. As well as opportunities in startups, fintech and multilateral fora. Also exchanged views on development in our respective regions and around the world."
Cho Hyun noted that President Lee Jae Myung's State visit to India in April last year provided the momentum to elevate South Korea–India ties to a new level. Cho Hyun said he and EAM Jaishankar assessed the swift progress on follow-up measures in areas like trade, investment, and finance, as agreed during last April’s summit, and discussed ways to advance them further.
"This week, the Prime Minister’s Office of India is hosting 'Korea Week', fulfilling Prime Minister Modi’s commitment made during the summit to directly explore solutions to the challenges faced by our companies in India. While expressing my gratitude for India’s full support, I also conveyed that we will soon hold a similar roundtable for Indian companies entering the Korean market," Cho Hyun posted on X.
"Over the subsequent lunch, Minister Jaishankar and I engaged in an in-depth discussion on the rapidly changing global situation. Our two countries also agreed to maintain close communication in responding to the economic ripple effects stemming from changes in the Middle East situation.
Minister Jaishankar and I are scheduled to meet again tomorrow at the Jeju Forum. I look forward to his sharp perspective and profound insights on bilateral relations and the international landscape shining through once more," he added. In his opening remarks at the meeting with Cho Hyun, EAM Jaishankar said, "It's a great pleasure to be back in Seoul and to meet you and your team today for our discussions.
And I agree with you, I think our meeting is very timely. Timely partly because we are following up on a presidential visit just recently. But timely also because of the state of the world and the importance of our relationship in this somewhat complicated world."
EAM Jaishankar recalled that he and Cho Hyun met in New York, Kuala Lumpur, Washington, at the G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting and during the South Korean President's recent visit to India. Highlighting the role of both foreign ministers to advance bilateral ties, he said, "I do think today that as foreign ministers, it is clearly our responsibility to take this relationship forward, to oversee what different parts of the government and different parts of our economy, of our country, do with each other in their interactions.
In coordinating that and in really, I would say, fashioning a more forward-looking, a more contemporary relationship in a more difficult world." "And that world, minister, particularly requires, I think, countries that are like-minded, countries with shared values, countries that have strong mutual trust to work with each other.
Again, as you noted, the presidential visit and the meeting of our prime minister with your president (Lee Jae-myung) at the G7 in Hiroshima, these have been recent leadership occasions where guidance has been given to us on how to take those ties forward," he added.