Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul (right) on July 18 poses for photos with Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly in their talks at Government Complex-Seoul in the capital's Jongno-gu District. (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

By Aisylu Akhmetzianova

Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul on July 18 hosted talks at Government Complex-Seoul in the capital's Jongno-gu District with his Canadian counterpart Melanie Joly on bilateral relations and regional and global issues.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul said both diplomats adopted the Korea-Canada Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Action Plan as a follow-up to the summit between the leaders of both countries in May last year.

Designed to implement the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership, the plan covers cooperation projects in five key sectors: rule-based international order; security and national defense; economic security and science and technology; climate change and energy security; and health and culture.

Both ministers agreed to hold as soon as possible the Korea-Canada High-Level Foreign Policy and Defense 2+2 Meeting to systemize security and defense cooperation, jointly respond to global security threats and bolster bilateral cooperation in the defense industry.

They also decided to hold late this month 2+2 economic security talks of director-generals to prepare for the High-Level Economic Security Dialogue (2+2).

The two sides agreed to work together to stimulate bilateral exchange in culture and people under their memorandum of understanding signed last month on the Korea-Canada Year of Cultural Exchanges 2024-25.

They also discussed a range of issues of common interest in the Indo-Pacific region and the world including stronger cooperation between Korea and the Group of Seven economies, military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, war in Ukraine and the Israel-Palestine conflict, as well as the prospects for the November presidential election in the U.S.

aisylu@korea.kr