§ Mr. Eldon Griffithsasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the recent visit of the Minister of State to the Ivory Coast.
§ Mr. RowlandsI visited Abidjan on 6th and 7th February to open the British Trade Fair, the first of its kind we have held in that country. My visit is an indication of the importance the British Government attach to developing both political and economic relations with the Ivory Coast. I expressed to Ivorian Ministers our satisfaction at the recent award to Plessey Radar for a £26 million contract for the redevelopment of Abidjan airport. I also explored with them ways of increasing our bilateral trade. Our Ambassador to the Ivory Coast is at present in the United Kingdom to draw to the attention of British firms the commercial and economic opportunities which exist there.