India, South Korea to intensify bilateral high-level exchanges

India and South Korea on Monday agreed to further intensify their bilateral exchanges.

The two countries shared the view that bilateral defence and security cooperation has a large potential to grow.

Welcoming the visit of the Speaker of the Korean National Assembly to India in May 2015, both sides hoped for an increased exchange of India-Korea parliamentary delegations. They shared the view that the exchange of India-Korea parliamentary delegations will contribute towards greater interaction and understanding between the two parliaments.

To substantiate the Special Strategic Partnership, both sides agreed to establish annual summit-level meetings, in either country, or on the margins of plurilateral events; hold joint ommissions led by the

two foreign ministers annually and facilitate greater parliamentary exchanges to strengthen democratic institutions in their respective regions; strengthen the partnerships between Indian and Korean

institutions of defence education, including the National Defence College of India and the National Defense University of Korea, by activating the dispatch of military officers for education.

The two sides further agreed to strengthen regular consultations between the National Security Council structures of the two countries on security, defence and cyber-related issues as well as establish a

joint vice ministerial level defence and foreign affairs dialogue in the "2+2" Format; encourage greater cooperation between their shipyards for defence needs; pursue further deepening of defence

cooperation through commencement of staff level talks between the two navies and regular exchanges of visits between the two armed forces.

The two sides also agreed to use cyber security cooperation to counter transnational cyber threats and cooperate appropriately in the area of UN Peacekeeping, besides holding a track 1.5 dialogue annually between Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security of ROK (IFANS) - Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA).

India sees the Republic of Korea as an indispensable partner in its "Act East" strategy, and the two nations recognize the value of the bilateral partnership and its contribution to bringing peace, stability and security in the Asia Pacific Region.