Iran Ambassador Meets with Sierra Leone Speaker of Parliament
On Wednesday May 29 Ambassador Sadati Amiri met with the new Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Sierra Leone Hon. Segepoh Solomon Thomas at the Speaker’s chamber. Also present in this meeting was Hon. Alpha Ben Mansaray the representative of Moyamba District.
The Ambassador of I.R. Iran conveyed his congratulations to Hon. Thomas on his election as the new Speaker and wished him increasing success. Mr. Sadati Amiri also presented the official congratulatory message by the Speaker of the Parliament of Iran to his Sierra Leonean counterpart.
Referring to the official opening of the 12th round of parliament in Iran on Monday and the re-election of Mr. Qalibaf as the Speaker of Parliament, the Ambassador emphasized the readiness of Iranian Parliament to form a friendship group with Sierra Leone.
Mr. Sadati Amiri pointed to the activities of robust friendship groups in the parliaments of the two countries in the past as well as the exchange of parliamentary delegations, and explained the achievements and the effective role of such interactions and visits in tapping into the capacities of economic, cultural and educational cooperation.
The Hon. Speaker started by expressing his condolences for the tragic passing of Iranian President, Minister of Foreign Affairs and other officials in the helicopter crash and pointed to the written message of condolence that was previously sent by the Parliament to the Embassy. He also expressed his gratitude for the congratulatory message of his Iranian counterpart and Iranian Ambassador.
Referring to the history of relations and commonalities of the two nations, especially the presence of a Muslim majority in both countries (more than 80% of Sierra Leone's population), Hon. Thomas assured the Iranian Ambassador of strengthening Iran-Sierra Leone parliamentary interactions during his tenure.
The Ambassador reiterated Iran's readiness to comprehensively expand existing relations with Sierra Leone and emphasized on readiness of the Iranian Parliament to interact with the Parliament of Sierra Leone and exchange experiences, “In view of the big five game-changers of the government of President Maada Bio, Iran can cooperate with Sierra Leone towards materializing these goals, particularly in the field of agriculture and training expert manpower. Sierra Leone enjoys diverse and rich natural resources and a young population. Ensuring the food security of this country and strengthening human resources can be achieved through adequate management and proper cooperation.”
During the meeting, Honorable Member of Parliament, Mr. Mansaray, presented a brief report of his trip to Iran to participate in the Iran-Africa Economic Cooperation Summit and IRAN EXPO 2024 to the Speaker of Parliament and shed light on the capabilities of Iran and the missed opportunities of cooperation in the past years due to the inaction of some Sierra Leonean government officials.
He emphasized that based on what he has seen of Iran's self-sufficiency, industrial achievements and technological advancements, the Islamic Republic of Iran can be a suitable partner for Sierra Leone on its path of growth and development.
The Honorable Speaker of Parliament tasked Hon. Mansaray with following up on the formation of the friendship committee and caucus and assured that he would personally support the agenda in the Parliament and see to it that it gets the necessary approvals.