The European Union and Korea affirmed further cooperation in security operations in the Indian Ocean and around the Horn of Africa during a reception celebrating the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties at a hotel in Seoul on Monday.

Korea and the EU are coordinating policies on security issues, including Korean participation in operations around the Horn of Africa and against piracy in the Indian Ocean.

“We have established a broad range of interaction channels on political and security issues. We are not only discussing, but engaging in substantive cooperation, on critical global challenges ― from crisis management around the Horn of Africa to Syria and Mali,” said EU Ambassador to Korea Tomasz Kozlowski in a speech during the reception

Korean Prime Minister Chung Hong-won affirmed Korean support in operations against Somali pirates during the event.

The past three years saw a series of landmarks in relations between the European Union and Korea.

Earlier this month, the EU celebrated Europe Day, which commemorates the regional government’s founding on May 9, 1950.

In 2010, they officially elevated their relationship to a “strategic partnership,” the EU-Korea Free Trade Agreement entered into force in 2011 and two-way trade surpassed the $100 billion mark in 2012.

“Over 50 years we have moved from being distant traders to becoming strategic partners. The FTA and Framework Agreement form what is today the EU’s most modern contractual relationship with any country in Asia,” Kozlowski said.

(ephilip2011@heraldcorp.com)