Seoul, April 24 (IANS): The vice foreign ministers of South Korea and Canada held talks Wednesday to discuss ways to expand bilateral cooperation in the areas of energy and key minerals, the foreign ministry said.

During the talks in Seoul, Second Vice Foreign Minister Kang In-sun and her Canadian counterpart, Rob Stewart, also agreed on the need to step up cooperation as South Korea and Canada are set to chair the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit and Group of Seven (G7) Summit, respectively, next year, Yonhap news agency reported.

The two sides stressed the need for Seoul to strengthen ties with the G7 countries, according to the ministry.

The G7 consists of the US, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan.

South Korea was recently excluded from a list of countries invited to the upcoming G7 summit, set to take place in Italy in June, though the country has been pushing for a "G7 Plus" initiative to expand its role and responsibilities as one of the world's major middle powers.

Kang also noted "great potential" for cooperation between the two countries, especially in the areas of key minerals and high-tech future industries, such as electric vehicles and batteries.