Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

Minister of National Defense Suh Wook and Chairperson of EU Military Committee agreed to discuss ways to cooperate on Indo-Pacific strategies during their bilateral talks;
Chairperson of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Won In-choul discussed military exchanges with Chairperson of the EU Military Committee

Minister of National Defense Suh Wook and Chairperson of the European Union (EU) Military Committee Claudio Graziano have agreed to strengthen their cooperation in order to effectively respond to the changing security environment by sharing experiences in the areas of maritime security, counterterrorism, and cyber security. Significantly, they agreed to discuss concrete ways to cooperate by sharing with the Republic of Korea (ROK) upon the materialization of the Indo-Pacific strategies, which the EU is mapping out now.

In the morning of April 7, a ministry spokesperson announced that Minister Suh and Chairperson Graziano exchanged opinions on the security situation in the region, including the Korean Peninsula, as well as ways to strengthen ROK-EU security cooperation.

During the Wednesday meeting, Suh commented that “The ROK and the EU have been focusing on cooperation on global issues, as well as bilateral cooperation, since the signing of a strategic partnership in 2010,” stressing that “multilateral cooperation between the ROK and the EU is becoming more important than ever given the rapidly changing international situation.” He added that “As part of the efforts to strengthen multilateral cooperation in the international community, the Seoul Security Dialogue and UN Peacekeeping Ministers’ Meeting are scheduled to be held in Seoul in the second half of this year. We look forward to the EU’s active participation in the meetings.”

For his part, Graziano said, “As one of the main partner nations of the EU, the ROK is cooperating in a number of areas, including politics, economy, environment and health,” clarifying that “the EU supports the ROK’s peace process regime on the Korean Peninsula.” He also added, “I experienced the excellence and leadership of the ROK’s Dongmyeong Unit first-hand when I was serving as the commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) from 2007 to 2010. I believe the ties with the ROK will contribute to developing the future cooperation between the ROK and the EU in areas of security.”

Prior to the meeting, Chairperson of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Won In-choul also met with Graziano to discuss ways to boost bilateral exchanges and cooperation in military areas, as well as the security situation on the Korean Peninsula. “I would like to express my thanks to Won for the warm welcome from the ROK JCS,” Graziano said. “Let’s make further progress in the strategic partnership through continuous ROK-EU military exchanges.” Expressing thanks for the efforts made to enhance the ROK-EU relationship, Won said “I ask for your continuous cooperation and support for our government’s various efforts for the complete denuclearization of and a permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula.”

By Chae-Mu, Im <lims86@dema.mil.kr >

<Copyright ⓒ The Korea Defense Daily, All rights reserved>