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Pranab to visit Thailand, South Korea to strengthen ‘Look East’ policy

NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee will visit Thailand and South Korea later this week to reinforce India’s “Look East’ policy and “informally” assess their position on the nuclear deal with the United States.

South Korea is a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and an AFP report claimed that one of its envoys said that India could set a bad precedent for North Korea.

Chun Yung-Woo, Seoul’s chief negotiator to the six-party talks with North Korea on the nuclear issue, was speaking at a forum on Monday. His comments, reported by the local media on Tuesday, were confirmed by the Foreign Ministry, said AFP.

“The United States has made an exception for India, and I am afraid North Korea will come back and ask: Why not us?” the agency reported him as saying.

In Bangkok, Mr. Mukherjee will co-chair the Fifth Joint Commission meeting and is expected to meet his Thai counterpart Nitya Pibulsonggram to discuss bilateral and other issues. He will call on the King and the Prime Minister, said Foreign Office spokesman Navtej Sarna.

The Joint Commission meeting, which is the main purpose of the visit, covers cooperation in areas as diverse as trade and investment, civil aviation, defence, security and science and technology.

He will deliver the keynote address on “India’s Look-East Policy and implications for Thailand and South-East Asia” at the Institute of Security and International Studies in the Chulalongkorn University.

From Thailand, the Minister will go to South Korea, where he will co-chair the Fifth meeting of the India-RoK (Republic of Korea) Joint Commission. He will exchange views with the leadership on several issues of mutual interest, including an assessment of Korea’s support at the NSG, where all decisions are unanimous.

Trade with South Korea, which will be one of the areas of interest, stood at $ 7.1 billion in 2006, with the balance heavily tilted in Seoul’s favour. Korea is the ninth largest foreign investor, and Posco, one of the largest manufacturers of steel in the world, has announced an investment of $ 12 billion in Orissa, which is the largest-ever single foreign investment in India.

“We have also commenced negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. [The] External Affairs Minister’s visit will naturally provide an opportunity for looking at the progress of these negotiations and giving them a boost,” said Mr. Sarna.

Other areas on which there has been limited interaction between the two countries — culture, education, tourism — will be focused upon, as well as the issue of simplification of visa rules for Indian business persons.

Several multilateral issues are also likely to come up as both countries are partners in the ASEAN Regional Forum and the East-Asia Summit.

India had invited South Korea to be an observer at the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation meeting earlier this year.

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Pranab to visit Thailand, South Korea to strengthen ‘Look East’ policy

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