| James Kon |
HERALDING a new era in mutual relations, Brunei and the Philippines yesterday reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen and deepen bilateral trade, economic relations and cultural cooperation following a fruitful meeting between leaders of the two countries at the Presidential Palace, ahead of the 30th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit in Manila, Philippines.
His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam is currently in the Republic of the Philippines for a two-day State Visit at the invitation of the President of the Republic of the Philippines Rodrigo Roa Duterte as well as to attend the Asean Summit on Saturday.
Recalling the full establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in January 1984, the leaders in a joint statement affirmed the steady growth of the friendship of the Philippines and Brunei Darussalam over the past three decades and of the cooperation in Asean, which is commemorating its 50th anniversary this year.
To sow the seeds of a shared future, both sides recognised the potential for deepening bilateral relations with an expanded agenda, through sustained dialogue and exchanges at all levels and across different sectors of government and civil society, the statement noted.
Both leaders welcomed the increased interactions at all levels and agreed to strengthen the existing bilateral consultative mechanisms. In this regard, both leaders agreed to the early convening of the 3rd Joint Commission for Bilateral Commission (JCBC) Meeting to further deepen and expand cooperation between the countries.
During the bilateral meeting, the leaders noted the two countries’ heightened political engagements as evidenced by the frequent exchanges of high-level officials and active cooperation between their defence and military establishments. President Duterte has expressed his gratitude for Brunei Darussalam’s important role in the Government of the Philippines and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (GPH-MILF) peace process, particularly in the International Monitoring Team (IMT) mechanism.
His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and Rodrigo Roa Duterte, President of the Republic of the Philippines. – INFOFOTO
President Duterte also emphasised his administration’s campaign against illicit drugs and called for increased collaboration among Asean partners in addressing this scourge, in line with the regional theme of ‘Securing Asean Communities Against Illicit Drugs’. His Majesty expressed satisfaction that both countries have worked together in addressing this issue through Asean and welcomed further efforts in strengthening cooperation in this area.
The leaders discussed ways to strengthen and deepen bilateral trade and economic relations and reiterated commitment to explore further opportunities including greater business exchanges and cooperation. In this regard, the leaders welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Energy and Industry Department at the Prime Minister’s Office, Brunei Darussalam and the Department of Trade and Industry, Republic of the Philippines on Halal Industry and Halal Export Development and Promotion to explore opportunities in the emerging global market for Halal products and services.
The leaders expressed satisfaction with the energy cooperation between Brunei National Petroleum Company Sendirian Berhad (PetroleumBRUNEI) and Philippines National Oil Company (PNOC). His Majesty welcomed both sides to identify potential areas of collaboration in downstream and upstream activities for the mutual benefit of the two countries.
His Majesty expressed appreciation for the contributions of 23,000 Filipino nationals in the socio-economic development of Brunei Darussalam. President Duterte also cited the vital contribution of overseas Filipino workers to the Philippines economy.
The leaders welcomed the signing of the agreement between Brunei and the Philippines on Cultural Cooperation. The agreement aims to enhance institutional networking and people-to-people exchanges in the field of culture and arts. It encourages the exchanges of visits, training, closer relations among cultural institutions, exchanges of materials, protection of cultural heritage, and exchanges of artists.
His Majesty expressed Brunei Darussalam’s support and full cooperation for the Philippines’ chairmanship of Asean, which will also coincide with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Asean, and wished the Government and people of the Republic of the Philippines the very best in their preparations.
Both sides looked forward to the celebrations for Asean’s 50th anniversary and to productive Asean meetings throughout 2017. The leaders noted Asean’s achievements over the past 50 years, emerging as an important regional association, and underscored their commitment to work closely with other Asean member states in advancing Asean’s community building process and upholding peace, stability and prosperity in the region.
The leaders emphasised the importance of the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and welcomed the progress in the consultations on the Framework of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea.
The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the development of the BIMP-EAGA to further promote sustainable and inclusive growth as well as fostering stronger people-to-people linkages in the sub-region. They stressed that complementation initiatives in the sub-region act as building block towards the realisation of the Asean Vision 2025.
The leaders reiterated the importance of strengthening cooperation in the sectors of labour, food security, agriculture, education, and finance, and expressed the hope for both sides to finalise documents in these matters to further enhance bilateral relations between both countries.
His Majesty expressed his deep gratitude to President Duterte for the warm welcome accorded to him and the Brunei Darussalam delegation.
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