IP4, EU hold vice ministerial-level meeting to discuss potential areas for cooperation

South Korea and its counterparts from Indo-Pacific partner nations, as well as the European Union, have held a vice foreign ministerial-level meeting to discuss potential areas of future cooperation, Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday. The meeting, which took place virtually Wednesday, included the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's four Indo-Pacific partners, known as the IP4 -- Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea -- and the EU, the ministry said in a release. The meeting was attended by First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun, Okano Masataka of Japan, Jan Adams of Australia, Tahamoana Macpherson of New Zealand and Stefano Sannino, secretary-general of the European External Actions Service. The participants shared assessments of the geopolitical situation in the Indo-Pacific region and discussed potential areas for future cooperation, including economic security, cybersecurity, foreign information manipulation and interference, and public diplomacy, the ministry said. The "4+1" vice min isters' meeting was the third such meeting following two rounds of meetings last year. All three meetings were reportedly held at the EU's suggestion. The initiative is seen as part of a broader trend emphasizing the security linkage between Europe and the Indo-Pacific region, particularly as NATO seeks to strengthen cooperation with the IP4. Source: Yonhap News Agency