U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has expressed his willingness to support inter-Korean dialogue on reunification of the two Koreas.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Noh Kwang-il told a regular news briefing on Tuesday that the UN chief expressed such intent on Saturday during a meeting with Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Switzerland.

The spokesman said that Ban stressed he is ready to support dialogue between the two Koreas on reunification and hoped for a breakthrough in inter-Korean relations this year.

Ban also expressed gratitude for South Korea’s active support for global effort to fight the Ebola virus.

The spokesman said that the UN chief asked for Seoul’s leadership and support for the new sustainable development agenda the organization is working on drafting.