By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun held a meeting with Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand at the United Nations Headquarters on September 25. The two sides exchanged views on overall bilateral relations, including high-level exchanges, future substantive cooperation plans, and regional and international situations.

Minister Cho expressed his delight at the ongoing high-level exchanges between the two countries following the inauguration of the new governments of Korea and Canada this year, following the bilateral summit held on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in June.

Cho also expressed his desire to further develop the Korea-Canada "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership."

Minister Anand expressed her hope that Korea would be a trustworthy partner as Canada expands its engagement in the Indo-Pacific region and that Canada would work closely with Korea to diversify its security and economic partnerships and energy supply chains, and to develop its security and defense capabilities.

Minister Cho explained the Seoul government’s North Korea policy for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and urged Canada, as the G7 chair, to play a role in increasing international understanding and support for our efforts.

Minister Anand responded by calling our efforts "smart diplomacy," expressing keen interest in the situation on the Korean Peninsula, and promising to actively consider any possible role.

The two ministers exchanged views on promising areas of cooperation between Korea and Canada, including LNG, key minerals, SMRs, and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), and agreed to pursue related cooperation.

They also agreed to closely review bilateral achievements in key areas, such as defense and defense industry cooperation, so that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's visit to Korea, which coincides with the Gyeongju APEC Summit, can serve as an opportunity to further advance bilateral relations.