South Korean, Swiss FMs meet to discuss bilateral issues, North nukes

South Korea and Switzerland agreed Monday to continue cooperation on North Korea's nuclear ambitions and other global security issues, Yonhap quoted a Foreign Ministry's statement as saying.

The agreement came at a meeting between Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and his Swiss counterpart Didier Burkhalter, held here on the sidelines of a two-day conference on the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

The two sides exchanged views on a range of issues, including bilateral ties, security conditions on the Korean Peninsula and in East Asia, anti-terrorism, human rights and South Korea-OSCE cooperation.

"The two agreed to continue robust cooperation in the various sectors," the ministry said in a press release.

Yun also appreciated the role of Switzerland in monitoring the implementation of a truce that ended the 1950-53 Korean War as part of the four-nation Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission. He also assessed close collaboration with Switzerland against North Korea's nuclear weapons program.

He said that Burkhalter also voiced support for President Park Geun-hye's policy of promoting peace in Northeast Asia, which calls for building trust through nonpolitical cooperation.

The meeting, which will run through Tuesday, is a gathering of more than 100 officials and experts from the 57 member nations of the OSCE and its 11 partner states. The OSCE is the world's largest intergovernmental security bloc, which has recently been active in managing the conflict in Ukraine.