Moon holds bilateral talks with Indian, Indonesian, French leaders

President Moon Jae-in greets Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the start of their summit on the sidelines of this year's G20 summit held in the western Japanese city of Osaka, Friday. Yonhap

By Kim Yoo-chul

OSAKA, Japan ― South Korean President Moon Jae-in met his Indian, Indonesian and French counterparts on the first day of this year's G20 summit in this western Japanese city, Friday, and discussed various bilateral and global issues with each of them.

President Moon held a 26-minute summit with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Congratulating Prime Minister Modi on his landslide victory in a recent general election, President Moon said, "Based on strong mutual trust, South Korea is further strengthening the special strategic partnership with India on multiple fronts, which is just excellent."

Prime Minister Modi thanked President Moon for congratulating him immediately after his election victory in May this year.

The leaders agreed to accelerate efforts in energy-related sectors and to create "synergy by finding common ground" between Seoul's New Southern Policy and India's Act East Policy, Cheong Wa Dae said.

"President Moon also asked Modi for more support for South Korean companies aiming to level up partnerships specifically in the arms industry," Cheong Wa Dae spokeswoman Ko Min-jung told reporters.

After the meeting with Modi, President Moon held a 23-minute summit with Indonesian President Joko Widodo in a designated venue for summits at the sidelines of the G20.

President Moon told Widodo that he hopes their countries can complete a trade deal by November. The two are in negotiations over a comprehensive economic partnership agreement, which is equivalent to a free trade pact but also focuses on a broader scope of economic cooperation beyond trade.

Congratulating Widodo's victory in a presidential election, Moon asked for Jakarta's continuous support for South Korean builders to help them have an increased role in light rail transit (LRT) systems in the Southeast Asian country.

"Also, President Moon praised the joint next-generation fighter project involving the two countries, commonly dubbed the KF-X/IF-X. Widodo asked for Seoul's support of the Indonesia-initiated Indo-Pacific Cooperation Concept," Ko said.

President Moon held a brief summit with French President Emmanuel Macron and asked for his support in bringing a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula. France holds a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council with the United Kindgom, China, Russia and the United States. President Moon earlier said the international community could lift economic sanctions on North Korea if it offered a detailed and concrete denuclearization plan.

Cheong Wa Dae said Moon also held informal meetings with Argentine President Mauricio Macri and Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Friday evening.

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