1. First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yong met with Secretary Peter Varghese of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Seoul on April 8. In the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on ways to promote the Republic of Korea-Australia relations, such as through high-level exchanges; the situations on the Korean Peninsula and in the Asia-Pacific region; ways to work more closely together on security and national defense; and key international issues.

* On the heels of the meeting with his ROK counterpart, Secretary Varghese made a courtesy call on Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se. He will also meet with high-level officials of the Ministry of National Defense and the Foreign Ministry’s Office of Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs during the visit to the ROK.

2. The Vice Minister and the Secretary shared the view that Australian Prime Minister Abbott’s visit to the ROK and the entry of the ROK-Australia FTA into force in 2014 helped further strengthen substantive cooperation between the two countries. They agreed to work closely together to make a success of their key strategic meetings, including the second foreign and defense ministers’ (2+2) meeting and the third deputy ministerial strategic dialogue set to take place in 2015 in Australia and the ROK, respectively.

◦ In addition, Vice Minister Cho asked for Australia’s active participation in major international events to be hosted by the ROK in 2015, including the World Education Forum, the Ministerial Meeting of the Global Health Security Initiative and the World Science Summit.

3. With regard to issues concerning the Korean Peninsula, the two diplomats exchanged views on the current situation in North Korea as well as the country’s issues involving nuclear and missile programs, and human rights. They agreed to participate actively in international efforts to achieve the denuclearization of North Korea and improve its human rights situation, while coordinating closely with each other in that regard.

◦ Vice Minister Cho, commending Australia for its active role in addressing North Korea’s human rights issues, spoke about the ROK government’s efforts to lay the groundwork for a peaceful unification of the Korean Peninsula as well as to establish stability, peace and prosperity in the region, including through its Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Initiative and Eurasia Initiative. In response, Secretary Varghese reaffirmed support for the ROK government’s unification policy and initiatives designed to meet security challenges in the region.

4. The Vice Minister and the Secretary exchanged views on the trends of bilateral, trilateral and quadrilateral cooperation among countries in regions ranging from Northeast Asia to Southeast and South Asia, amid the Asia-Pacific region drawing attention as the venue of strategic competition and cooperation between the US and China. The diplomats, both recognizing the need for such cooperation to move forward in a way that contributes to regional stability and peace, agreed to step up strategic cooperation between their two countries.

◦ The two sides, taking note of the advances in their bilateral partnership on various security issues in the Asia-Pacific region, agreed to work closely together to draw up a blueprint for strengthening cooperation on security and national defense pursuant to the “Vision Statement” adopted at the bilateral summit talks in 2014.

5. The two diplomats exchanged views on the way forward for such key regional cooperation mechanisms as the East Asia Summit (EAS), the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), as well as ways to bolster the ROK-Australia cooperation. They also engaged in an extensive exchange of views on key international issues, including terrorism, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), violent extremism, global health security and such non-proliferation issues as Iran’s nuclear program.

6. Over the past 54 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the ROK and Australia saw their relationship mature across the board, including political affairs, economy, culture and people-to-people exchanges. The latest round of the vice foreign ministerial meeting between the two countries is seen to have served as an opportunity to help reinforce strategic communication on regional and global issues as well as collaboration at MIKTA and on other international stages as leading middle power countries of Northeast Asia and Oceania. 


               Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFA

* unofficial translation