Recent visit of Kang Kyung-wha, the Foreign Minister of Republic of Korea to India preceded by the visit of President Moon Jae-in’s in July and by First Lady Kim Jung-sook in November is hinting at the formidable friendship in the making between the two Asian giants.
During Republic of Korea-Republic of India foreign ministerial joint committee in New Delhi on December 19, Kang Kyung-wha and Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj both noted with appreciation that President Moon Jae-in’s visit to India in July and that by First Lady Kim Jung-sook in November had helped to bring the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries to the highest level ever.
In the meeting, the two top diplomats reviewed the progress in the bilateral relations and discussed a broad range of matters, including defense industry, economy, science, technology, people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and Korean Peninsula, regional and global issues.
The ninth meeting of the ROK-India foreign ministerial joint committee, which came four years after the one held in December 2014, is seen to have served as an opportunity to review the progress in the implementation of the measures agreed upon by the leaders of the two countries at their bilateral summit talks in July; to drive forward the friendly and cooperative ties between the two countries; and to seek progress in substantive cooperation in individual sectors.
Both the sides agreed to further enhance the special strategic partnership between the two countries by creating synergistic effect from President Moon’s New Southern Policy and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Act East” policy.
The two Ministers agreed to continue holding high-level exchanges between the two countries and to seek close cooperation between police and other government agencies as well as the parliaments of the two countries.
While recognizing the importance of bilateral cooperation on defense industry, the two ministers to continue consultations to seek ways for stronger cooperation in the field, including expanding the ROK’s defense exports to India.
The two top diplomats agreed to boost people-to-people exchanges, including by promoting the immigration-related convenience for ROK nationals in India and holding exchanges between journalists, in a bid to further consolidate the foundation of the bilateral relations. They also discussed the possibility of joint film production and other ways to pursue cultural exchanges and cooperation.
Taking note of the great potential for bilateral cooperation and the mutually complementary economic structures of the two countries, they exchanged views on ways to conclude as soon as possible the negotiations on the revision of the ROK-India comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA); to move forward with development cooperation on India’s infrastructure; to promote cooperation in science, technology and other future-oriented areas; and to step up substantive cooperation in various sectors, including energy, aerospace, and maritime affairs.
The two sides discussed in depth the situation on the Korean Peninsula, agreeing to communicate and cooperate closely with each other toward a complete denuclearization and a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula. Minister Swaraj, hailing the ROK government’s efforts to build peace on the Korean Peninsula, expressed willingness to continue rendering support to that end.
It was also agreed upon that India and Korea would work together for regional peace and prosperity at the East Asia Summit (EAS), the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), and other multilateral consultative mechanisms of the region as well as the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), which the ROK had recently joined as one of its Dialogue Partners; and to continue working closely together on such global security issues as terrorism response and cyber security, as well at the UN and on other international stages.
