Speaker Underlines Parliament Support for Closer Iran-Singapore Ties

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani stressed Tehran's willingness to boost bilateral ties with Singapore, and underlined the Iranian parliament's support for closer ties between the two nations.
"Iran has a positive look towards the expansion of economic, political, international and cultural ties with Singapore," Larijani said in a meeting with Singaporean Minister of Transport Lui Tuck Yew on Tuesday.

"Iran and Singapore's capacity for trade ties is desirable, yet it can still be boosted," Larijani said.

"The Iranian parliament supports expansion of Iran's ties with Singapore, because Singapore can invest in Iran's industrial, oil and gas and transportation sectors," Larijani added.

During the meeting, Lui Tuck Yew said that Singapore attaches much importance to its ties with the Iran.

The minister added that the Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) signed by the two countries' ministries provide a proper chance for the expansion of mutual cooperation and increase of bilateral trade ties.

Earlier, Singaporean Foreign Minister George Yong-Boon Yeo, who was in Iran for the 9th ministerial meeting of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) in November 2010, had stressed that new ways of economic cooperation with Iran could be found despite the UN Security Council and western sanctions against Tehran.

"Of course, sanctions may create some problems but there are ways to set them aside," Yong-Boon Yeo said.

"Sanctions cannot stop economic development," he added.