Foreign Minister Park Jin held talks with his Benin counterpart Wednesday on ways to step up bilateral cooperation and discussed the security situation in the region, the foreign ministry said.

In his talks with Olushegun Adjadi Bakari, Park voiced hopes for strengthening cooperation in the economic and development areas, and held out expectations that Patrice Talon, Benin's president, will visit South Korea next year to attend the South Korea-Africa summit.

Bakari, in response, expressed hopes his visit will serve as an opportunity to discuss "specific and practical" ways for bilateral cooperation, stressing Benin has "great expectations" for enhancing cooperation with Seoul.

Bakari arrived in Seoul on Tuesday for a three-day visit at the invitation of the ministry. (Yonhap)