By UN Journal Kayla Lee

While attending the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Foreign Ministers' Meeting (April 3-4, Brussels), Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul held back-to-back meetings with Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky and Dutch Foreign Minister Hanke Bruins Slot on April 4 to discuss bilateral relations, cooperation in the international arena, and the situation on the Korean Peninsula and the region.
 

During the meeting with Minister Lipavsky, Minister Cho expressed his hope that the two countries, which share universal values, will continue to strengthen high-level exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation in trade and investment, and that Korean companies with global competitiveness will participate as the winning bidder in the construction of the new nuclear power plant in Dukovany, Czech Republic, and requested Minister Lipavsky's support. 

Minister Lipavsky said that he was well aware of the high technology and competitiveness of Korean nuclear power plants, assured that the final decision would be made through a fair and transparent process, and expressed his hope that the two countries, as strategic partners, would expand their cooperation into advanced fields such as SMRs and batteries.

During the meeting with Bruins Slot, the two ministers agreed that bilateral relations have been elevated since President Yoon Suk-yeol’s state visit in December last year, and agreed to continue to follow up on the semiconductor alliance agreed upon at that time, as well as the progress of bilateral consultations in the areas of economic security, cybersecurity, and defense. 

In particular, the two ministers agreed to work closely together to ensure the success of the second High-Level Conference on the Responsible Artificial Intelligence in the Military domain Summit (REAIM), which the two countries will co-host in Seoul this year.

They also welcomed Minister Cho's participation in this year's NATO Foreign Ministers' Meeting and called for continued support and solidarity for the restoration of peace in Ukraine through close cooperation between Europe and the region, including NATO-IP4 cooperation.