| James Kon |
SENIOR Minister of State, Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Singapore Dr Mohamad Maliki bin Osman has hailed Brunei Darussalam’s long-standing arrangement of providing a venue for the Singapore Armed Forces’ personnel to train in the country’s jungle.
“This has been a long arrangement we have with Brunei. It is important for Singapore to have such training. We appreciate Brunei for giving us the opportunity to train in the country and we would like to thank 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 as well as the people of Brunei for their generous hospitality and providing us with such a good training ground,” Dr Mohamad Maliki said in an interview with the local media on the sidelines of Singapore High Commission’s Hari Raya Aidiffitri open house held yesterday at Royal Berkshire Hall, Royal Brunei Polo and Riding Club.
During his five-day visit to Brunei which began on June 16, the Singapore Senior Minister also had the opportunity to celebrate Hari Raya with the Singapore Armed Forces personnel currently training in the Sultanate.
“They are doing very well Alhamdulillah. Our personnel are happy that Brunei continuously provides them the opportunity to train in the country. I am also happy to be able to celebrate Hari Raya with them.”
Dr Mohamad Maliki was accompanied by Singapore’s Minister of State, Ministry of Manpower and Ministry of National Development Zaky Mohamad.
About his visit to Brunei, Dr Mohamad Maliki said, “I am happy to be here in Brunei again. This is the sixth time I am in the Sultanate and this year alone, I visited more than 40 families. Last year, I managed to visit around 30 families. My visits to Bruneian households signify the special relationship that Brunei and Singapore enjoy that has expanded and deepened over the years. We have made many friends in Brunei and will continue to make more.”
On Saturday, Dr Mohamad Maliki and his delegation visited Istana Nurul Iman to personally convey Singapore leaders’ Hari Raya greetings to His Majesty and the royal family.
“The first thing that we did after arriving in Brunei on Saturday was to visit Istana Nurul Iman where we had an audience with His Majesty who welcomed us warmly and was very generous to us. It is always an honour to have an audience with the monarch and I am truly honoured.
“Many of our friends are here to celebrate Hari Raya with the Singapore High Commission and we look forward to continue this tradition. This is a great opportunity to cement our relationship with Brunei. I am deeply touched by the hospitality and generosity of our Bruneian friends. It’s always wonderful to come back to Brunei,” the Singapore Senior Minister said.