Cho Holds G20 Sideline Talks With EU, UK, India and Mexico
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun held bilateral talks with counterparts from the European Union, Britain, India and Mexico on the sidelines of a G20…
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun held talks with counterparts from the European Union, Britain, India and Mexico on the sidelines of a Group of 20 meeting in Atlanta on Saturday, his office said Sunday. The discussions ranged from cybersecurity and defense to investment ties, linking bilateral cooperation with issues on the G20 agenda.
Cho’s meetings brought together partners with separate areas of cooperation, including security, artificial intelligence and implementation of existing agreements. South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said he also discussed the Korean Peninsula and Ukraine with the EU’s foreign policy chief.
Security and AI feature in talks with European and British officials
Cho met Kaja Kallas, the European Union high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, during the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting. He called for stronger cooperation in cybersecurity and space, while the two also exchanged views on security conditions on the Korean Peninsula and in Ukraine.
Cybersecurity and space were central themes. The talks also connected bilateral security ties with wider international concerns, including two conflicts discussed by the officials.
Cho held a separate meeting with British counterpart Ed Miliband on the same day. He called for closer defense and artificial intelligence cooperation, and the two agreed to work closely as Britain and South Korea prepare to chair the G20 in 2027 and 2028, respectively.
The chairmanship arrangement gives the two governments a shared point of coordination beyond their bilateral agenda. Their cooperation could shape how each country approaches the group’s work during its respective term, while the talks also covered practical areas such as defense and AI.
What did Cho discuss with India and Mexico?
Cho met Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar to review progress on agreements reached during President Lee Jae Myung’s state visit to India in April. The meeting focused on carrying forward commitments from that visit.
With Mexican counterpart Roberto Velasco, Cho discussed a revised bilateral investment treaty. The two sides agreed to cooperate to bring the revised treaty into force as soon as possible.
That agreement has a direct commercial stake: bringing the revised treaty into force is the next step the two governments identified for their investment relationship. The talks set out a shared commitment to work toward that outcome, though they did not announce a date for it to take effect.
Across the four meetings, Cho’s agenda paired immediate security concerns with longer-term cooperation in technology, defense and investment. His talks with Kallas covered cybersecurity and space; discussions with Miliband included AI and defense; and the meetings with India and Mexico addressed existing agreements and the revised investment treaty.
Cho and Miliband agreed to cooperate closely ahead of Britain’s G20 chairmanship in 2027 and South Korea’s in 2028.