“This year we will celebrate the 134th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations, which are characterized by an excellent level of cooperation, especially in the economic sector, also thanks to the Free Trade Agreement between the European Union and South Korea. We believe there is ample margin to further expand our cooperation. While protectionist tendencies are on the rise, the EU-Korea Free Trade Agreement is a model of loyal cooperation and a way to opening up to trade,” said the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Angelino Alfano, when meeting his South Korean counterpart at the Farnesina, Madam Kang Kyung-wha.
International policy issues were also on the ministers’ agendas, starting from the current situation in north-east Asia. In this respect, Alfano highlighted that ” recent positive signals, such as the meeting between high level delegations of North and South Korea and the re-establishment of a military communication channel, designed to minimize the risk of an involuntary escalation of the crisis, along with the announced participation of North Korea in the Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, may foreshadow a real change in Pyongyang’s direction.”
