Singapore (ANTARA News) - South Sulawesi is exploring the possibility of conducting direct trade with Singapore and to this end Governor Syahrul Yasin Limpo met with Singapore`s Trade and Industry Minister Lim Hng Kiang here on Thursday.

He said "he (minister Lim) had given a serious response especially with regard to Singapore`s basic food needs."

In the field of tourism Minister Lim said he was handling one million foreign tourists on cruise ships every year and 250,000 of them were Singaporeans who he believed could be directed to South Sulawesi.

The minister however hoped the South Sulawesi government could provide a security guarantee for it in addition to facilities such as ferries to transport tourists from cruise ships to land, medical facilities, clean water for cruise ships while berthing and others.

The Singapore ministry of trade and industry would facilitate trade communications through a Singapore-South Sulawesi business forum.

"The minister of trade would send his staff to talk with the Singapore ambassador in Indonesia regarding technical things and other action plans for the cooperation with South Sulawesi. The meeting with the minister of trade this time is still an initial stage. I expressed my appreciation because both the foreign minister and the trade minister has known a lot about South Sulawesi including our potentials," Yasin said.(*)

(H-YH/HAJM/a014)

Editor: Ruslan Burhani
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