On March 18-19, Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul had meetings with Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, Minister of State for External Affairs and Education of India, and Tim Watts, Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia, on the occasion of the Ministerial Conference of the 3rd Summit for Democracy.

Expressing gratitude to the Indian Minister of State and the Australian Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs for their attendance at the Ministerial Conference of the 3rd Summit for Democracy, a forum to affirm commitment to defending and promoting democracy, Foreign Minister Cho emphasized that under its Indo-Pacific Strategy, the Korean government intends to continue close collaboration with the two countries, which share common values and visions for the Indo-Pacific region with Korea, to advance freedom, peace, and prosperity in the region.

During his meeting with Indian State Minister Singh on the afternoon of March 18 (Monday), Foreign Minister Cho commended the robust high-level exchanges between the two nations. These include the two summits convened last year on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, as well as Indian Minister of External Affairs Jaishankar’s visit to Korea for the 10th ROK-India Joint Commission on March 6, followed by subsequent visits by senior Indian officials.

Foreign Minister Cho emphasized the importance of India’s interest and support in enhancing the investment environment for Korean companies in India in order to deepen bilateral economic and security cooperation. He also highlighted the significance of the smooth progress of procuring the second batch of K-9 self-propelled howitzers (known as “Vajra” in India), symbolizing defense cooperation between the two nations. State Minister Singh appreciated the active investment by Korean companies in India and expressed hope to advance the “Special Strategic Partnership” in areas such as advanced manufacturing, core technologies, and people-to-people exchanges.

During the meeting with Australian Assistant Minister Watts on the afternoon of March 19 (Tuesday), Foreign Minister Cho lauded the strong and close cooperative relations established between the two countries in recent years under the “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.” Both sides, as like-minded countries in the region, agreed to further strengthen strategic communication and cooperation, guided by a common vision for the Indo-Pacific region.

Foreign Minister Cho expressed gratitude for Australia’s interest and support regarding a Korean company’s signing of a contract to export next-generation infantry fighting vehicles to Australia last year. The two sides committed to promptly convene the 6th ROK-Australia Foreign and Defense Ministers’ 2+2 Meeting to bolster bilateral cooperation in defense and the defense industry.

Foreign Minister Cho underscored that the unprecedented scale of provocations by North Korea poses a grave threat to peace and stability, not only on the Korean Peninsula but also in the broader region and the international community, and emphasized the necessity for a united and decisive response from the international community. State Minister Singh and Assistant Minister Watts agreed with his view.