Bandar Seri Begawan, March 9, IRNA � Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif conferred with Crown Prince of Brunei al-Muhtadee Billah on bilateral ties and international developments.


Zarif arrived in Brunei capital, Bandar Seri Begawan early Wednesday. He was welcomed at the Brunei International Airport by the country's high ranking officials.

Foreign minister departed for Brunei after a three-day visit to Singapore to meet with Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Member States. He is tightly scheduled for his one-day visit in this rich, tiny island with a population of some 400,000 people.

Zarif is expected to meet with Sultan of Brunei Darussalam Hassanal Bolkiah, Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism Haji Ali bin Haji Apong, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Lim Jock Seng, and Minister of Energy and Industry Haji Mohammad Yasmin bin Haji Umar.

A memorandum of understanding is scheduled to be signed between Iran and Brunei as high-ranking Brunei officials have expressed their readiness for mutual cooperation with the Islamic Republic.

Starting his Asian tour on Saturday evening with Indonesia and following it up to Singapore on Monday, Foreign Minister Zarif departed for Brunei on Wednesday and then visits Thailand, New Zealand and Australia as the last legs of his tour.

By IRNA