MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th July, 2022) South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell have agreed to strengthen cooperation on the North Korean issue and agreed that unified international efforts are required to rebuild Ukraine, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.
Jin and Borrell met on Thursday on the outskirts of the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Bali, Indonesia, being held from Thursday to Friday. The sides discussed the cooperation between South Korea and the European Union, as well as the outcomes of the 2022 NATO Summit in Madrid, which was held from June 28-30.
"Both ministers highly praised the recent NATO Summit and Ukraine Recovery Conference as the manifestation of the international community's solidarity for the protection of democratic values and norms and expressed the need for the international community's unified support (for Ukraine), including participation in the reconstruction and rebuilding of the country so that the Ukrainian people could quickly return to normal life," the ministry said in a statement.
Jin briefed Borrell on the current situation on the Korean Peninsula and Seoul's policy toward Pyongyang and called on the EU to maintain continued interest and involvement in the issue.
"The sides agree to maintain close contact on the North Korean nuclear issue so that North Korea stops provocations and returns to the path of dialogue and diplomacy," the ministry added.
Jin also praised the EU's active development of cooperation with countries of the Indo-Pacific region, adding that Seoul is seeking further strengthening of cooperation with the EU based on the partnership agreement signed in 2010.
The trade and investment between South Korea and the EU continue to grow, reaching a record high of $129.5 billion in 2021, the statement read, adding that the sides mutually accept COVID-19 certificates.
Ukraine Recovery Conference was held from Monday to Tuesday in the Swiss city of Lugano.
