MEA Secy Kumaran co-chairs 6th India-ROK Foreign Policy and Security Dialogue in Seoul

New Delhi [India], February 14 (ANI): P. Kumaran, Secretary (East) of the Ministry of External Affairs, undertook an official visit to the Republic of Korea on February 12-13 to co-chair the 6th Foreign Policy and Security Dialogue (FPSD) alongside his counterpart, Park Yoon-joo, First Vice Foreign Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROK, according to an official statement from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
During the deliberations held on Friday, both sides agreed to take forward the 'India-ROK Special Strategic Partnership' in 2026 through regular high-level engagements, including the visit of the ROK's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT to India for the AI Impact Summit, Foreign Ministers-led Joint Commission Meeting and several other ministerial and senior official-level dialogues.
In a post on X, India in ROK said, "P. Kumaran, Secretary (East), called on Cho Hyun, Foreign Minister of the ROK, and reaffirmed the shared commitment to further strengthen the Special Strategic Partnership. The discussions focused on exploring the avenues for enhanced cooperation in shipbuilding and the maritime sector, AI, as well as cultural exchanges and people-to-people ties."

P. Kumaran, Secretary (East), called on Cho Hyun, Foreign Minister of the ROK, and reaffirmed the shared commitment to further strengthen the Special Strategic Partnership. The discussions focused on exploring the avenues for enhanced cooperation in shipbuilding and the maritime… pic.twitter.com/xnHzq5gKbg

— India in ROK (@IndiainROK) February 13, 2026

Both sides discussed the whole gamut of bilateral relations, including political, economic and commercial, defence and security, science and technology, culture and people-to-people ties. Secretary Kumaran highlighted the significant opportunities in the shipbuilding and maritime sectors for Korean companies, while emphasising the need to enhance economic security cooperation, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.
The discussions also explored partnerships in critical minerals and supply chains and identified possibilities of cooperation in new and emerging technologies such as AI, semiconductor, green hydrogen, etc. Both sides further deliberated on deepening cultural relations through enhanced people-to-people ties.
In a post on X, Hyun said, "Today, I met with Secretary (East) Periasamy Kumaran of India's Ministry of External Affairs, visiting Korea for the 6th Korea-India Foreign Policy and Security Dialogue. Having served as Ambassador to India from 2015 to 2017, I experienced firsthand India's immense potential. It was therefore especially meaningful to hear from Secretary Kumaran today about the steady progress in our bilateral cooperationacross a wide range of areas. I look forward to our "Special Strategic Partnership" taking a significant leap forward this year through the summit between our leaders."

오늘 제6차 한-인도 외교정책안보대화를 위해 한국을 찾은 페리아사미 쿠마란 외교부 아태차관을 만났습니다. 2015년-2017년간 주인도대사로 근무하며 인도의 막대한 잠재력을 체감했었는데, 오늘 쿠마란 차관님을 만나 다방면에서 양국 협력이 발전하고 있음을 들으니 감회가 새롭습니다. 올해 중… pic.twitter.com/napXOlk5c7

— 조현 외교부 장관 FM Cho Hyun (@FMChoHyun) February 13, 2026

The FPSD also provided an opportunity to share perspectives on regional and global issues of mutual importance, including issues related to the Korean Peninsula and the Indo-Pacific region. Cooperation in multilateral fora was also discussed.
In addition to the FPSD, Secretary Kumaran called on ROK Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, where both reaffirmed their mutual commitment to further strengthening bilateral ties. Secretary Kumaran also held separate meetings with Lim Woong-soon, Second Deputy Director of the National Security Office, and Chung Eui-hae, Deputy Minister for Political Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the ROK.
Kumaran's visit to ROK is part of a series of several high-level engagements between the two countries, the MEA stated. (ANI)