Lithuania sees South Korea as key partner in Indo-Pacific region – formin

VILNIUS – Lithuania sees South Korea as its key partner in the Indo-Pacific region, Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis told his Korean counterpart Cho Tae-yul in Seoul on Friday.

The two countries' top diplomats discussed bilateral relations, support for Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression, the threat posed by North Korea, and geopolitical processes in Europe and the Indo-Pacific region, the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry said in a press release after the meeting.

Landsbergis thanked South Korea for its 300-million-US-dollar support to Ukraine and for Seoul's decision to provide a further 2 billion dollars to Kyiv in the coming years. 

"Despite the geographical distance between our countries, the consequences of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine are not limited to Europe, so we highly appreciate South Korea's support to Ukraine and the desire to strengthen the rules-based order at regional and global levels,” he said.

Lithuania's top diplomat underlined his condemnation of North Korea's illegal nuclear program and the supply of arms for Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

The two ministers also discussed bilateral economic cooperation in high value-added areas such as life sciences, and semiconductor and defense industry technologies.

"The trade turnover between Lithuania and South Korea in 2023 was more than 189 million euros. South Korea is among the largest importers of Lithuanian lasers in Asia. Lithuania is ready for new joint projects with South Korean companies," Landsbergis said. 

The ministers also discussed the establishment of South Korea's embassy in Lithuania.

"We are looking forward to the opening of the South Korean Embassy in Vilnius. This will be a historic moment for both countries," Lithuania's top diplomat said.

"The Embassy will undoubtedly strengthen friendly relations between Lithuania and South Korea, open the door to businesses of both countries and promote human ties and cultural knowledge," he said.

Lithuania established diplomatic relations with South Korea on October 14, 1991.

Lithuania opened its embassy in Seoul in 2021 as the two countries marked the 30th anniversary of their diplomatic relations. Lithuania also wants South Korea to open its embassy and trade representative office in Vilnius.