By Lee Hana

President Moon Jae-in held a bilateral meeting with Senegalese President Macky Sall at U.N headquarters in New York on Sept. 19. They discussed ways to deal with North Korean nuclear weapons issues, as well as expanding cooperation between Seoul and Dakar.

President Moon expressed his appreciation for the fact that Senegal, currently a non-permanent member of the U.N. Security Council (UNSC), has supported Korea's position in regard to North Korea. President Moon asked that Senegal continue to cooperate with Korea by carrying out UNSC sanctions related to North Korean nuclear weapons issues.

"Moving forward, Senegal will consistently support South Korea on issues that involve the state of affairs on the Korean Peninsula. As a non-permanent member of the UNSC, we will carry out necessary sanctions and cooperate with other countries to implement countermeasures," said President Sall.

Furthermore, the two heads of state agreed to expand cooperation on many areas, including national security and the defense industries, as well as agriculture, education, welfare and infrastructure.

Referring to Senegal's Maritime Infrastructure Establishment Project (MIEP), funded by Korea's Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF), President Moon said he hopes that the project has a successful launch. He also wished President Sall the best of luck on his Emerging Senegal Plan, a blueprint for a five-year economic reform program designed to increase economic growth rates.

Finally, the presidents discussed the upcoming PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. "If Senegal, the first African country to participate in the Winter Olympics in Sarajevo in 1984, should participate in the PyeongChang Olympics, it would receive a lot of media attention and help to promote the upcoming event," said Moon.

hlee10@korea.kr