S. Korean, Austrian FMs hold talks on trade, supply chain cooperation

The top diplomats of South Korea and Austria held consultations to discuss cooperation on supply chain issues and other areas of mutual interest, Seoul’s foreign ministry said Friday.

In the meeting held in Salzburg on Thursday, Foreign Minister Park Jin and his Austrian counterpart, Alexander Schallenberg, agreed to closely cooperate in promoting bilateral trade and investment in the fields of batteries, electric vehicles and semiconductors.

The two sides also agreed to work closely to ensure stability of the global supply chain.

Park also asked for Austria’s support for South Korea’s bid to host the 2030 World Expo in the country’s southeastern port city of Busan. Schallenberg said his government would seriously consider the request.

The Austrian minister added that his government has decided to support South Korea in the upcoming 2023-2027 UNESCO World Heritage Committee elections scheduled for November.

Park also met separately with Martin Kocher, Austria’s minister of labor and economy, and requested Austria’s attention to ensure that South Korean companies are not subjected to discriminatory treatment due to economic legislation being pursued at the European Union-level.

Further, Park paid courtesy calls on Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen and Chancellor Karl Nehammer, and also requested their support in South Korea’s World Expo bid.

According to the ministry, the two Austrian leaders said they were well aware of Seoul’s efforts and that they will seriously consider the request.