New Delhi: India has expressed interest in expanding its strategic partnership with South Korea in new areas, such as critical and emerging technologies, semiconductors, green hydrogen, human resource mobility, nuclear cooperation and supply chain resilience to make the ties more contemporary, EAM Jaishankar said on Wednesday.
His remarks come as he co-chaired the 10th India-South Korea Joint Commission meeting here in New Delhi on Wednesday. In his opening remarks, EAM Jaishankar said, "During the Prime Minister's visit in 2015, the relations between India and Korea were elevated to a special strategic partnership. We must live up to that. We have grown from strength to strength in the years that have passed".
"We have become truly important partners for each other. And our bilateral exchanges – trade, investments, defense, and S&T cooperation, have all seen steady growth. While keeping up the momentum in the traditional areas of cooperation, we would be very much interested now in expanding it to new areas, such as critical and emerging technologies, semiconductors, green hydrogen, human resource mobility, nuclear cooperation, supply chain resilience, etc, to make our ties more contemporary", Jaishankar added.
He noted that there is a growing convergence of views between India and Korea at the international forum. The focus on the Indo-Pacific region is a good case to point, and both have stakes in its stability, security, and prosperity", Jaishankar pointed out.
He reiterated that there is enormous goodwill between the two countries while noting that the challenge is to translate that into practical outcomes. "Our leaders have met twice last year in Hiroshima and New Delhi. I think their discussions have provided us the guidance to go forward", he said during the Joint Commission meeting.
Jaishankar is currently in Seoul on the first leg of his four-day visit to South Korea and Japan. The JCM is expected to comprehensively review the entire gamut of bilateral cooperation and explore avenues for further strengthening it.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, it will also provide an opportunity for the two sides to exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, the Ministry of External Affairs said in New Delhi ahead of Jaishankar's visit.
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