(LEAD) Moon holds social dinner with UAE crown prince

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SEOUL, Feb. 26 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in had a closed-door social dinner with United Arab Emirates (UAE) Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan on Tuesday, Seoul's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said.

The two leaders held a 130-minute dinner session that started at 7 p.m. at the presidential office.

The crown prince arrived here earlier in the day for a two-day visit at Moon's invitation.

The official visit by the UAE de facto leader is largely aimed at further improving the relationship between the two countries, Cheong Wa Dae said earlier.

South Korea and the UAE upgraded their relationship to a "special strategic partnership" during Moon's visit to the Middle Eastern country in March 2018.

"At the upcoming summit, the two leaders are set to focus on specific and practical ways to further develop the ties between the two countries into a more mutually beneficial and future-oriented relationship," Cheong Wa Dae has said.

The UAE is the only Middle Eastern country to have established a special strategic partnership with South Korea.

The leaders will hold a summit Wednesday, at which they are expected to issue a joint statement suggesting the future direction of their countries' bilateral relationship, according to Cheong Wa Dae.

They are widely expected to call for efforts to expand the countries' cooperation to semiconductors, 5G technology, the defense industry and information communication technology, it said.

bdk@yna.co.kr
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