1. Minister of Foreign Affairs Chung Eui-yong talked over the phone with Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of Germany Heiko Maas on April 9 for the first time since his inauguration and exchanged views on matters of mutual interest, including Korea-Germany bilateral relations, multilateral cooperation, and situations on the Korean Peninsula and in other regions.

2. The two Foreign Ministers noted with appreciation that Korea and Germany continued active high-level exchanges last year despite the COVID-19 pandemic. The two sides agreed to further intensify communication on the multilateral stage, including the G7 and G20 Summits, this year.

※ The telephone conversation between President Moon Jae-in and Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel was held on October 1, 2020, and the 2^nd Foreign Ministerial Strategic Dialogue on August 10, 2020.

○ Foreign Minister Chung mentioned that Korea will participate in the 2021 G7 Summit as a guest country and contribute actively to discussions on global issues, including health and climate change. He also looked forward to cooperating closely with Germany, which will assume the presidency of the G7 next year.

○ The two sides agreed to actively cooperate for the success of the 2021 P4G (Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030) Seoul Summit, which Korea will host at the end of this May.

3. Federal Foreign Minister Maas explained that Germany is diversifying collaboration with Asian countries, including Korea. Foreign Minister Chung hoped to further explore common cooperation initiatives to find a nexus between Korea’s New Southern Policy Plus and Germany’s Policy on this region.

※ Germany announced the Policy Guidelines for the Indo-Pacific Region in September 2020.

4. Foreign Minister Chung explained the Korean government’s efforts to achieve complete denuclearization and establish permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula, and Federal Foreign Minister Maas reaffirmed the German government’s will to support the Korean Peninsula Peace Process.