Iran favors energy ties with Singapore

PressTV--Iranian Parliament (Majlis) Speaker Ali Larijani has called for the expansion of economic ties with Singapore, especially in the field of oil and gas.

During a meeting with Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean on Wednesday, the visiting speaker said that there are many fields for cooperation between the two states such as joint investment in Iran's energy sector and expansion of bilateral trade ties, Mehr news agency reported.

“We believe that there are many capacities for the expansion of ties,” he said, adding that more than 30,000 Iranians visit Singapore every year.

Hean, for his part, said that his country will spare no effort to help boosting ties with the Islamic Republic.

Earlier Wednesday, Larijani and Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong discussed bilateral ties and the latest international developments.

“Iran is a great and influential country in the Middle East and we are proud of this,” Loong said.

Iran's Majlis speaker, heading a parliamentary delegation, arrived in Singapore on a two-day official visit to discuss ways to develop bilateral relations. At the end of his visit to Singapore, Larijani will fly to Jakarta to hold talks with Indonesian officials on bilateral ties as well as international developments.

Before departing for the Southeast Asian country on Monday, Larijani expressed hope that Iran's relations with Singapore and Indonesia would improve after his trip to Singapore and Jakarta.

“Economic relations between Iran and Singapore stand at a relatively acceptable level as we have around $2 billion worth of trade with Singapore,” Larijani said.

“During the visit, regional issues of potential significance for both sides will be discussed since Singapore is a member of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA),” he said.