New York:South Korea: South Korea, Britain, France, and five other nations from Europe and the Indo-Pacific have declared that any disruption of sea lanes, including the Strait of Hormuz, is unacceptable. They have pledged to stand together in addressing shared challenges, as announced by Seoul's foreign ministry on Wednesday.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the foreign ministers and high-level representatives from the European and Indo-Pacific Partners (EIPP)comprising South Korea, Australia, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Poland, and Britainissued a joint statement following a meeting in New York on Tuesday.

This meeting, the second of its kind, occurred on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly amidst ongoing conflict in the Middle East and increasing disruptions to maritime security. The joint statement emphasized that any disruption of sea lanes, including the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab-el-Mandab Strait, poses a threat to global security and prosperity and is deemed unacceptable.

The countries urged all nations to oppose such disruptions and pledged their commitment to upholding the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which governs international maritime navigation.

The joint statement also highlighted the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. The countries encouraged dialogue and opposed unilateral attempts to alter the status quo across the Taiwan Strait.

Regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the participating nations called for a full ceasefire and emphasized the need for a just and lasting peace, adhering to the principles of the U.N. Charter and international law, including the respect for independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.

The eight countries committed to enhancing collaboration in the face of shared challenges, noting an increasingly volatile and fragmented strategic environment since their last meeting a year ago. They acknowledged that security and prosperity in Europe and the Indo-Pacific are interconnected and reaffirmed the need to counter hybrid threats in all domains and to ensure societal resilience.

Chang Wook-jin, coordinator-general for international organizations and global affairs at the South Korean foreign ministry, attended the meeting as the country's representative.