VADM José M. Núñez Torrente carried out his visit together with the EU Senior Coordinator Amb. Michael Pulch
13 & 14 March 2023 - The EU NAVFOR ATALANTA Operation Commander (OPCDR), Spanish Vice admiral (VADM) José M. Núñez Torrente, together with Coordinated Maritime Presence (CMP) Senior Coordinator for the North Western Indian Ocean, EU Ambassador Michael Pulch, visited first to the Republic of Korea (ROK), in the framework of the close relations between the European Union and ROK. As a contributing Nation to ATALANTA, ROK Navy deploys an officer on board EU NAVFOR Flagship, currently the Spanish Frigate REINA SOFIA.
During the visit to ROK, EU Amb. Pulch and the OPCDR had the opportunity to meet with government representatives of two ministries: the Director General of International Policy Bureau - Ministry of Defence, Mr. Seung-Buhm Lee and the Director General for International Organizations - Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Jooyeon Ellen Kang. These meetings allowed to present the new CMP concept for the North-Western Indian Ocean and to invite ROK to participate in joint activities under this program. Also, it was a unique opportunity to express the gratitude for ROK's contribution to Operation Atalanta, presenting the priorities and challenges for EUNAVFOR, and to outline the vision of the Operation as a maritime security provider in the Indian Ocean and Red Sea.
The visit also enabled meetings with representatives of the two most relevant Korean institutes: the Korean Institute for Defence Analysis (KIDA) and the Korean Institute for Maritime Strategy (KIMS). KIDA purpose is taking responsibility for supporting policymakers by providing specialized and rational analyses on all defense issues. KIMS is a non-profit-oriented research institution designed to promote various research and research related activities with the ultimate aim of creating policy-relevant foundations useful for Korea’s national security and maritime strategy. The interest of both institutes in learning first-hand about the Operation and keeping close relations, which is a clear example of the relevance of EU NAVFOR to maritime security partners in the Indian Ocean and Red Sea.
This year, the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the European Union and the Republic of Korea is been celebrated. In this framework, EU NAVFOR ATALANTA is proud to be part of the EU efforts to strengthen this partnership, having the privilege to count with this country as an active and valuable member of the Operation. ROK was the first Nation in Asia to conclude a CSDP Framework Partnership Agreement with the EU, in force since December 2016, providing naval units and staff officers to the FHQ on board the EU NAVFOR Flagship.
The common goal to enhance maritime security highlights the solid basis of the relations between the Republic of Korea and the EU towards a free, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific.
