President Yoon Suk Yeol and United Arab Emirates President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan adopted a joint statement Thursday, pledging to invest more in each other's countries and urging North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons.

The statement was adopted on the occasion of the Arab leader's state visit to Seoul on Tuesday and Wednesday, during which the leaders held summit talks and the two countries signed a comprehensive economic partnership agreement freeing up trade.

In the statement, the leaders highly assessed the agreement's signing and vowed to increase investment in each other's countries with a focus on key areas.

The UAE also reaffirmed its promise to carry out investments worth $30 billion in South Korea.

The statement further noted the UAE's full support for South Korea's policy on North Korea, with the two leaders urging Pyongyang to return to dialogue and abandon its nuclear weapons in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner.

The sides additionally agreed to look for ways to promote cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy, including through nuclear power plant projects, joint overseas expansions and small modular reactors. (Yonhap)