S Jaishankar Holds Meeting With South Korean Counterpart

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday spoke to his South Korean counterpart Park Jin and discussed issues relating to bilateral ties and India's G-20 presidency.

Jin is set to visit India in early March to attend the G-20 foreign ministers' meeting.

"Appreciate the call from FM Park Jin of Republic of Korea this morning. Discussed our bilateral relations and the 50th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relationship. Look forward to welcome him to India for the G20 Foreign Ministers' meeting," Jaishankar tweeted.

India is expected to host the foreign ministers of G-20 countries in the first week of March and they are set to deliberate on ways to deal with pressing global challenges including the Ukraine conflict.

India assumed the presidency of the influential bloc G-20 at its annual summit in Bali in November with a promise of striving to ensure that the grouping acts as a global prime mover to envision new ideas and accelerate collective action to deal with pressing challenges.

India is looking at March 1 and 2 for the G-20 foreign ministers' meeting in New Delhi.

India is hosting a series of events and meetings ahead of the G-20 summit later this year.

"India is taking charge of the G-20 at a time when the world is simultaneously grappling with geopolitical tensions, economic slowdown, rising food and energy prices, and the long-term ill-effects of the pandemic," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at the Bali summit.

"At such a time, the world is looking at the G-20 with hope. Today, I want to assure that India's G-20 presidency will be inclusive, ambitious, decisive, and action-oriented," he said.

India officially assumed the G-20 presidency on December 1.