(VOVworld) -  UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed hope for more dialogue and exchanges between the two Koreas when he met with North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Su-yong on Thursday on the sidelines of the 70^th UN General Assembly Summit in New York. Ban welcomed August's inter-Korean deal to defuse a military standoff and a follow-up agreement to hold reunions of families separated by the Korean War, saying the agreements would pave the way for greater inter-Korean dialogue, reconciliation and cooperation. Ban hoped that more dialogue and exchanges would contribute to promoting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. He reiterated his readiness to spare no efforts to support inter-Korean cooperation and reaffirmed the UN commitment to provide humanitarian assistance to those in need in North Korea.