Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean has held talks with Mr Sergei Ivanov, Russia's Special Presidential Representative for Environment Protection, Ecology and Transport, as part of a working visit to the Russian capital, Moscow.

Mr Teo and Mr Ivanov had wide-ranging discussions on smart city development, urban transportation, sustainable development, climate change, and cooperation in the Arctic during their meeting on Wednesday, Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement yesterday.

Writing on Facebook, Mr Teo said he was happy to meet his old friend Mr Ivanov, who was his counterpart in their previous capacities as Deputy Prime Ministers and Ministers for Defence.

He also noted that ties between Singapore and Russia had been growing steadily.

Mr Teo served as Deputy Prime Minister - a post he had held since 2009 - until earlier this year. He was also Minister for Defence from August 2003 to May 2011.

Both leaders "expressed satisfaction with the good progress in bilateral relations" during their meeting and welcomed the signing earlier this month of a free trade agreement between Singapore and the Eurasian Economic Union, the ministry's statement said.

During his visit, which began on Tuesday, Mr Teo also met Mr Alexander Gorbenko, the Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Regional Security and Information Policy.

They discussed the use of new urban solutions, digital technology and data analytics to improve urban transportation and city management, the statement said.

Mr Teo visited the Skolkovo Innovation Centre, a technology hub near Moscow known as Russia's Silicon Valley, and Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology. He discussed the centre's programmes and development plans, and met Russian start-ups in the fields of artificial intelligence, cyber security and innovative prosthetics.

The Senior Minister also attended a dinner with business leaders who have interests in Russia and Singapore to discuss the latest trends in the innovation sector across Russia and the region, as well as opportunities for collaboration.

Mr Teo's working visit ends on Sunday. He is accompanied by Dr Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information as well as Transport, and Members of Parliament Saktiandi Supaat and Jessica Tan, as well as officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.