| Rokiah Mahmud |
MINISTER of Defence II Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Awang Halbi bin Haji Mohd Yussof yesterday received a courtesy call from an Australian Parliament delegation led by Member of Parliament of Australia Rowan Ramsey.
The courtesy call aimed to reaffirm the close and long-standing bilateral defence relationship between the two countries.
Both sides expressed pleasure at the progress on the defence cooperation achieved through exchanges of visits, policy meetings, exercises, trainings and courses for defence and military personnel.
The minister and Ramsey exchanged views on regional and global security issues, which included the growing threat of terrorism in the region. Both sides also acknowledged the need to work closer together in addressing the issues.
In the wake of increasing threats of terrorism in the region, Australia hosted the Sub-Regional Defence Ministers’ Meeting on Counter Terrorism held in Perth in February, followed by a Senior Officials’ Meeting on the sidelines of the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue June.
These meetings bolstered regional initiatives through sharing and exchanging of views and by stepping up practical defence cooperation.
Present were Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) Major General Pengiran Dato Paduka Seri Aminan bin Pengiran Haji Mahmud and Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Defence Captain (Rtd) Dato Paduka Abdul Rahman bin Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Haji Bakar.
