FM Cho attends EU, MIKTA ministerial meetings to discuss cooperation
Top diplomats and representatives of EU-Indo-Pacific nations hold a ministerial meeting in New York, Tuesday. Courtesy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun has attended EU-Indo-Pacific and MIKTA foreign ministers' meetings in New York and discussed cooperation among like-minded nations, the foreign ministry said Tuesday.
Cho attended a meeting of foreign ministers from the European Union (EU) and four Indo-Pacific countries, including Australia, India and Japan, on Monday (local time) on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly High-Level Week, according to the ministry.
Cho, along with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong; Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar; Kazuya Endo, a senior official at Japan's foreign ministry; EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas; and representatives from EU member states, discussed the importance of a rules-based international order and ways to strengthen security cooperation amid heightened global uncertainties.
Cho expressed concern over deepening military ties between North Korea and Russia, and stressed the importance of strengthening security cooperation between the EU and the Indo-Pacific region.
"Participants shared Cho's assessment and agreed that cooperation among like-minded countries in the two regions is more important than ever to safeguard freedom of navigation and strengthen multilateralism and the rules-based international order," the ministry said in a release.
Pyongyang and Moscow signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty in June 2024 and have since strengthened their military ties. According to South Korean authorities, North Korea has sent more than 16,000 troops to Russia and provided conventional weapons to support Russia's war against Ukraine.
Cho also attended the MIKTA foreign ministers' meeting, where participants discussed ways to improve the effectiveness of the United Nations through reforms, as well as ways for middle powers to work together to strengthen multilateralism.
MIKTA is a grouping of five middle powers — South Korea, Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, Turkey and Australia — launched in 2013 to promote cooperation on global issues.
Cho called on MIKTA to deliver "tangible results" in areas of mutual interest, including artificial intelligence (AI) and trade, to address global uncertainties together.
The member nations agreed to seek concrete ways to cooperate on global issues by leveraging their role as middle powers from different regions.
Following the talks, the ministers adopted a vision statement, reaffirming their commitment to sustainable development, multilateralism and reform of the international trading system.
They also adopted a joint statement on protecting humanitarian personnel and activities from misinformation, disinformation and harmful narratives, the ministry said.