[정병원 차관보 환영사] 제2차 한-인도 외교안보·경제통상 싱크탱크 2 2 정책대화
- 구분
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- 담당부서
- 기획협력과
- 등록일시
- 2024-03-20 16:46
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- 국립외교원
Congratulatory Remarks by H.E. Chung Byung-won
Deputy Minister for Political Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea
The 2nd ROK-India 2+2 Policy Dialogue
March 20, 2024
Chancellor 박철희,
Director-General Vijay Thakur Singh
President 이시욱, Dr. Seshadri
Ambassdor Amit Kumar , Ambassdor 이준규,
Distinguished speakers and guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning, Namaskar!
I am deeply honored to attend the second ROK-India 2+2 Policy Dialogue today. First of all, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to the Korean National Diplomatic Academy (KNDA) for organizing this meaningful event.
The 2+2 Policy Dialogue, first held in 2021, serves as a crucial platform to discuss specific ways to further deepen our Special Strategic Partnership through participation of renowned think tanks in the areas of both security and economy.
Today’s dialogue holds greater significance, as it is held when we are heading into the first year after the 50th anniversary of our diplomatic ties. The dialogue deals with important issues for our two countries such as changing regional strategic landscape; strengthening of strategic and security trust between Korea and India; and the rise of the Global South.
I believe that today's discussions will serve as a strong foundation for facilitating practical cooperation and aligning our strategic views on various regional and global issues.
Distinguished Guests,
Our two nations forged diplomatic ties in December 1973. However, trade and cultural exchanges between our peoples date back thousands of years.
Our common cultural and historical heritage such as Buddhism as well as India’s contribution during the Korean War are shining examples of our deep rooted friendship.
Based upon the long friendship and shared values, and thanks to our joint efforts, our bilateral relations have made an impressive progress in almost all areas of mutual interest in the last 50 years.
We have achieved several important milestones during the last half century. First bilateral visits at the highest level were realized in the 1990s. In 1993, Prime Minister Rao became the first Prime Minister of India to visit Korea. In 1996, President Kim Young-sam was the first Korean President to pay a visit to India.
In the 1990s, Korean companies such as Samsung and Hyundai began setting up their manufacturing facilities in India, paving ways to their successful business in India today.
We upgraded our bilateral ties to a “Special Strategic Partnership” in 2015. And the Korea-India CEPA was concluded in 2009 after negotiations for 2 years and 7 months and took effect in 2010.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
During the 50th anniversary of our diplomatic ties last year, there were active exchanges and cooperation between the two countries, including the two Summit meetings. This year, Dr. Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister of India visited Korea in March. He gave a public address here at the KNDA during his visit. These numerous high-level exchanges demonstrate strong commitment of our two nations to further strengthen our Special Strategic Partnership.
Economic security is a critical area of our strategic ties. Bilateral trade continued to grow, reaching an all-time high of 27.8 billion USD in 2022. Many Korean companies are actively investing in India and contributing to “Make in India” programs.
We are also closely cooperating in the defense industry.
The Vajrahowitzer, produced in Gujarat, is a shining symbol of our robust defense industry partnership.
I look forward to the smooth progress in the procurement of the second batch of Vajra.
Science and critical technologies cooperation is an integral part of our partnership, and I am happy to note that we successfully hosted the Korea, India, U.S. Critical and Emerging Technologies Dialogue in Seoul.
At this critical juncture when we are witnessing the beginning of next 50 years of our partnership, I believe that we need to cooperate to forge a shared vision for our future. Based on the shared values and aligned visions, we should collaborate to promote freedom, peace and prosperity in the region and beyond.
First of all, Korea and India should work together to promote freedom in the region and more broadly. Our two countries are proud of our democratic system and tradition. We will closely cooperate bilaterally and through collaboration with like-minded partners to strengthen the rules-based regional order, including through the Summit for Democracy we host today.
Secondly, Korea and India should promote peace and stability in the region and beyond. We will build on our active bilateral defense and defense-industrial collaboration to promote further cooperation on regional security—including North Korea, cyber security, maritime security, and non-proliferation.
Lastly, Korea and India should promote mutual prosperity and contribute to global economic development. Given the complementarities between our two economies, and India’s growing importance as a global supply hub, such cooperation will serve our mutual interests.
Distinguished Guests,
Last year, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, an important milestone in our bilateral ties. I firmly believe that the Special Strategic Partnership between our two nations will continue moving forward over the next 50 years.
Thank you once again for inviting me today. I look forward to working with you to further strengthen our partnership as we embark on another five decades of journeying together. Thank you for your kind attention, and I look forward to the fruitful discussions today.
외교원 SNS
