NEW DELHI: Without naming Pakistan, PM
Narendra Modi on Tuesday said proliferation links between east and south Asia were a matter of concern for India. This meant that India too was a “stakeholder” in the success of the ongoing peace process in the Korean peninsula, Modi said after a meeting with visiting
South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
“We will do whatever we can to held reduce tension in the region. That’s why we have decided to expedite the process of consultation (between Delhi and Seoul),” Modi said, adding that the upcoming secretary-level 2+2 dialogue between the two countries would be important in that context.
Moon told Modi in the meeting that he was confident about the final outcome of the peace process even though some “bruises and bumps” might come in the way.
India has repeatedly reminded the international community that any settlement of the dispute over North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme must keep in mind India’s concerns over proliferation. India has suspected all along that Pakistan provided centrifuges and even uranium (although North Korea’s nukes are plutonium based) to Pyongyang.
In a vision statement, India and
South Korea also “pledged” to work together to prevent proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and delivery systems, particularly to terrorists and non-state actors.
While further upgrading economic ties, India and South Korea resolved to take their special strategic partnership to another level by focusing on defence and security cooperation. The two countries agreed to explore tripartite partnership for development in third countries, beginning with a capacity building programme in Afghanistan.
The Modi-Moon meeting also saw the two sides signing 11 agreements. The two governments said in a vision statement that while India saw Seoul as an indispensable partner in its Act East Policy, South Korea described relations with India as a central pillar of its New Southern Policy.
