- UK will put green growth and security at the centre of our relationships across the region.
- Government will step up efforts towards a new, deeper Strategic Partnership with crucial G20 partner Indonesia to support green innovation and accelerate the clean energy transition.
- Driving forward further security collaboration, the Foreign Secretary will visit South Korea to galvanise work on defence, clean energy and growth.
A new chapter in the relationship between the UK and Indonesia, a vital Indo-pacific and G20 partner, begins with the Foreign Secretary arriving in Jakarta today (20th October).
The Foreign Secretary will attend the inauguration of President Prabowo Subianto, as the UK and Indonesia celebrate seventy five years of diplomatic relations this year. With new governments in the UK and Indonesia, both countries will work together to build a deeper Strategic Partnership that delivers growth and security while ensuring a sustainable future for our planet.
Reinforcing the UK and South Korea’s shared global values, David Lammy will travel onwards to Seoul where he will visit the Demilitarized Zone and underline our geopolitical collaboration on security, climate and growth with another G20 power in the Indo-Pacific.
In South Korea the Foreign Secretary will witness first-hand the geopolitical reality and immediacy of the divided Korean peninsula and the ongoing threat posed by North Korea.
Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, said
Our South Korean partners have stood side-by-side with us in defence of Ukraine whilst also working to preserve regional stability here on the Korean peninsula.
It is a stark reminder of the interconnectedness of conflict, with North Korea supporting Russia and prolonging conflict on Europe’s borders whilst their illegal weapons of mass destruction programme threatens regional security. That is why it is so important for the UK to engage globally over conflict on our continent and security beyond it.
Indonesia is a key player in our fight to tackle the climate crisis – and our new governments are working together to build a strategic partnership that delivers green growth, deepens our cooperation on security and ensures a sustainable future for our planet.
Right across this region, we are working to further unlock growth, trade and green innovation.
Underlining the UK and South Korea’s joint commitment to upholding peace both on the Korean Peninsula and across the globe, the Foreign Secretary will announce the first UK and South Korea Foreign and Defence Ministerial 2 + 2 Dialogue. This set-piece consultation will provide a formalised space to further enhance cooperation in addressing regional and global challenges to peace and security.
The Ministerial 2 + 2 will sit alongside an Inaugural UK-Korea Hybrid Threats Dialogue, which will enable discussion on issues of shared national interest and identification of new opportunities to tackle shared threats together – jointly improving our resilience.
The Foreign Secretary’s visit to both Indonesia and South Korea will also be underpinned by the UK’s international leadership on the climate crisis, through clean power and green solutions.
In Indonesia, the Foreign Secretary will meet Indonesian companies supported by the UK to spearhead green innovations. He will also see first-hand the UK expertise being deployed to support sustainable infrastructure development in Indonesia.
In the Republic of Korea, Mr Lammy will visit Ewha Women’s University to share expertise and experience on the UK’s and South Korea’s clean energy transition. Focusing on how both countries can deliver female leadership in climate and growth, the Foreign Secretary will meet with the university’s President, Kim Eun Mee, and leaders within the climate sphere.
