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During the official visit to the Republic of Korea on 13 January, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis met with South Kore’s Foreign Minister Park Jin. At the meeting, Landsbergis said that the liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage vessel Independence was a symbol of the countries’ unity and independence that had kick-started the rapid growth in cooperation between the two countries in the fields of economy, energy and smart technologies. On Friday, the South Korean Foreign Minister also informed about issued export permits for poultry meat from Lithuania.

“We see the Republic of Korea as the main like-minded country in the Indo-Pacific region. I am delighted that we are opening a two-way gate between the EU and Asia. Lithuania and the Republic of Korea are strengthening democratic alliances, seeking to diversify supply chains, strengthening economic resilience and improving our business access to the EU and Asian markets,” Landsbergis said.

In Seoul, the Foreign Ministers also discussed support for Ukraine, closer defence cooperation between Lithuania and the Republic of Korea, as well as the consequences of Russia’s war on the region and global security. “The impact of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is not limited to Europe. Therefore, we greatly appreciate the Republic of Korea’s solidarity with and support for Ukraine,” Landsbergis said. The politicians also stressed the need to strengthen the partnership between NATO and the Republic of Korea. Lithuania expressed its support for the Republic of Korea’s bid for a seat as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

According to Landsbergis, Lithuania stands in full solidarity with South Korea in condemning North Korea’s banned nuclear weapons programme, provocations, ballistic missile launches and human rights violations. Lithuania’s Foreign Minister also stressed that Lithuania and its allies would seek a strong response after North Korea’s nuclear weapons test. “North Korea is more than a regional threat. The country poses a threat to global peace and security. We would therefore support the tightening of the United Nations and European Union sanctions on North Korea,” Landsbergis said.

South Korea’s Minister of Foreign Affairs presented the main principles of the New Indo-Pacific Strategy and stressed that from now on, the Republic of Korea would seek a global role and was interested in exchanging relevant experience with Lithuania. Landsbergis also invited Park Jin to come to Vilnius shortly and presented the “Forget-Me-Not” badge, dedicated to the memory of the victims of January 13.