Seoul, March 3 (IANS): South Korean Defence Minister Suh Wook on Wednesday met the European Union's (EU) Ambassador to Seoul Maria Castillo Fernandez to discuss security issues.

Suh and Fernandez held a meeting at the headquarters of the South Korean Defense Ministry here, exchanging opinions about the security situations on the Korean Peninsula and in the region as well as ways to strengthen cooperation between the two sides, reports Xinhua news agency.

During the meeting, Suh assessed the expanded bilateral cooperation since South Korea and the EU launched their strategic partnership relations in 2010, anticipating further expansion of their bilateral cooperation in the defence sector.

Fernandez said she will do her best during her tenure to contribute to the peace settlement on the peninsula and the substantive development in the South Korea-EU cooperation.

They also had consultations on the South Korean Cheonghae Unit's cooperation in the EU anti-piracy missions and the issues on holding South Korea-EU security talks.

They agreed to actively push for the substantive exchange and cooperation between the senior-level military officials of the two sides that had been delayed because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Since 2009, the Cheonghae Unit has been on anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia, and recently expanded its mission areas to include the Strait of Hormuz.