'India is a stakeholder in Korean peace process'

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said India is a stakeholder in the peace process in the Korean peninsula after he held wide-ranging deliberations with South Korean President Moon Jae-in that focused on deepening strategic cooperation between the two countries.

The two countries agreed to significantly enhance cooperation in a range of areas including defence and security, artificial intelligence, trade besides resolving to work together for regional peace and prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

The two countries inked a total of 10 agreements covering a broad spectrum of areas for cooperation and signed a document to facilitate negotiations to upgrade the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).

At a joint media event with Moon, Modi indirectly referred to North Korea's proliferation linkages with Pakistan and that it was a reason why India is a stakeholder in the peace process.

"During our talks, I told President Moon that proliferation linkages between North-East Asia and South Asia are a matter of concern to India. Therefore, India is also a stakeholder in the peace process. We will do our bit to ensure peace," Modi said in his press statement.

India has been pressing for a probe into North Korea's nuclear proliferation linkages with Pakistan and demanded that those responsible for it should be held accountable.

The two sides also released a vision document articulating ways to boost their strategic cooperation and reaffirming convergence of their views in dealing with maritime conflicts, in an explicit reference to China's expansionist behaviour in critical sea lanes. See P13