Suriname for Expansion of Ties Among Muslim Countries
February 1, 1998 - 0:0
NEW YORK Suriname's Foreign Minister Errol Snijders expressed hope on Friday that ties among Islamic countries will improve during Iran's tenure as the chairman of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC). He made the remark in a meeting with the Iranian Ambassador to Venezuela, who is also accredited to Suriname, Mohammad Keshavarzzadeh in Paramaribo. Snijders, who attended the 8th Summit of the OIC in Tehran in December, expressed his government's appreciation for Iran's hosting of the summit.
He hoped that Iran's chairmanship of the OIC will lead to further deepening of relations among the Islamic countries with one another as well as with Suriname which is the only OIC member from the American Continent. The Suriname foreign minister described the accord for establishment of diplomatic ties between Iran and Suriname which was signed during the OIC Summit as a turning point in relations between the two countries.
He hoped that these ties can be developed in the economic, commercial, industrial and agricultural sectors in the future. Expressing Iran's interest in expanding ties with Suriname Keshavarzzadeh said that OIC membership of Suriname as the only American country in the organization has given it a special status in Latin America. Iran is ready to expand ties with Suriname in all fields of mutual interests, declared the Iranian envoy.
Keshavarzzadeh also met the President of Suriname's National Assembly Ms. Maraijke Devlapersad on Friday and expressed Iran's willingness to establish parliamentary cooperation with Suriname. Ms. Devlapersad sent warm greetings to the Majlis Speaker Ali Akbar Nateq Nouri and announced Suriname's readiness to develop closer inter-parliamentary ties. She referred to the texture of Suriname's population and said that the majority of the people in her country are Indians, Pakistanis and Indonesians, of whom 30 percent are Muslims. In view of their Eastern background, the Surinamese can better comprehend the culture and beliefs of the Iranians, she noted.
Therefore, very good grounds exist for developing Iran-Suriname ties, she added. Devlapersad described the future of Iran-Suriname cooperation as very bright, particularly in view of the talks held on the sidelines of the OIC Summit and the signing of memoranda of understaning on economic and industrial ties. Tehran-Paramaribo ties have made good progress in the last six months, she noted. (IRNA)
He hoped that Iran's chairmanship of the OIC will lead to further deepening of relations among the Islamic countries with one another as well as with Suriname which is the only OIC member from the American Continent. The Suriname foreign minister described the accord for establishment of diplomatic ties between Iran and Suriname which was signed during the OIC Summit as a turning point in relations between the two countries.
He hoped that these ties can be developed in the economic, commercial, industrial and agricultural sectors in the future. Expressing Iran's interest in expanding ties with Suriname Keshavarzzadeh said that OIC membership of Suriname as the only American country in the organization has given it a special status in Latin America. Iran is ready to expand ties with Suriname in all fields of mutual interests, declared the Iranian envoy.
Keshavarzzadeh also met the President of Suriname's National Assembly Ms. Maraijke Devlapersad on Friday and expressed Iran's willingness to establish parliamentary cooperation with Suriname. Ms. Devlapersad sent warm greetings to the Majlis Speaker Ali Akbar Nateq Nouri and announced Suriname's readiness to develop closer inter-parliamentary ties. She referred to the texture of Suriname's population and said that the majority of the people in her country are Indians, Pakistanis and Indonesians, of whom 30 percent are Muslims. In view of their Eastern background, the Surinamese can better comprehend the culture and beliefs of the Iranians, she noted.
Therefore, very good grounds exist for developing Iran-Suriname ties, she added. Devlapersad described the future of Iran-Suriname cooperation as very bright, particularly in view of the talks held on the sidelines of the OIC Summit and the signing of memoranda of understaning on economic and industrial ties. Tehran-Paramaribo ties have made good progress in the last six months, she noted. (IRNA)