UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday welcomed the prisoner swap between the United States and Iran, said a statement of Ban's spokesman.

　　Iran freed four American prisoners on Saturday, including Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian. U.S. officials also confirmed that on Saturday they released four Iranian-Americans as part of the prisoner swap.

　　The Secretary-General commended the recent moves by the Governments of the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran to improve ties, said the statement. "He is also heartened by the lifting of sanctions on Iran," it said.

　　He also expressed the hope that the parties move on to fully implement the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in good faith and to increase cooperation on other pressing international and regional matters, it said.

　　Finally, the UN chief affirmed the need for all concerned in the region to make the world a safer place through dialogue and peaceful means, it said.

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