India wants to expand partnership with South Korea in important technologies: S. Jaishankar – Dainik Savera Times

Seoul: Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar on Wednesday said India wants to expand strategic partnership with South Korea in new areas such as critical and emerging technologies, semiconductors and green hydrogen to make its bilateral relations more contemporary. Jaishankar said this while co-chairing the 10th India-South Korea Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) with his counterpart Cho Tae-yeul. Jaishankar said in his address that during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to South Korea in 2015, bilateral relations reached the height of Special Strategic Partnership.

The Foreign Minister said that it is important that we maintain it. We have become stronger over the years. We have indeed become important partners for each other and our bilateral exchanges, trade, investment, defense and science and technology cooperation have grown rapidly and we have maintained dynamism in traditional areas of cooperation. He said that now we will be interested in expanding into new areas like critical and emerging technologies, semiconductors, green hydrogen, human resource mobility, nuclear cooperation etc. to make our relations more contemporary.

He said that both the countries have seen increasing similarity of views on international forums. He said, “It is important to focus on the Indo-Pacific region… Jaishankar said that he has approached the Joint Commission with great optimism and hope. He said, I know there is good friendship between us. Our challenge is to translate this into practical results. He said that our leaders have met twice last year in Hiroshima and New Delhi. I think their discussions have provided guidance for us to move forward. Jaishankar also congratulated Cho for his appointment as External Affairs Minister in December.