BRUNEI Darussalam and the Republic of Korea yesterday reaffirmed their commitment to deepen the bilateral relations since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in January 1984.
In a joint statement issued after President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in made a State Visit to Brunei Darussalam at the invitation of 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, both leaders highlighted the importance of achieving a harmony between the Brunei Vision 2035 and the New Southern Policy, thereby generating a synergy to further bolster the bilateral ties in the years ahead.
Both leaders emphasised the importance of strengthening collaboration in the areas of trade and investment, infrastructure development, connectivity, people-to-people exchanges and defence cooperation, particularly to actively explore opportunities for expanding cooperation in education, agriculture, Halal industry, tourism, energy, Small Medium Enterprises (SME)s, FinTech, science and technology, ICT, smart cities and intellectual property, the statement noted.
His Majesty expressed appreciation for President Moon Jae-in’s continued commitment to the region and looked forward to the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit to be held in November in the Republic of Korea, which will provide the Republic of Korea and ASEAN with an excellent opportunity to take stock of the past 30 years of ASEAN-Republic of Korea Dialogue Relations.
His Majesty also congratulated the Republic of Korea on the achievement in the socio-economic and development fields, and welcomed the Korean government’s commitment towards strengthening cooperation with the region under the New Southern Policy.
President Moon Jae-in emphasised the Republic of Korea’s continued commitment to cooperation with ASEAN, which will be carried out under the spirit of prioritising the 3Ps — People, Prosperity and Peace – and expressed support for Brunei Darussalam’s role as the Country Coordinator for the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Dialogue Relations for 2018-2021.
President Moon Jae-in also commended the government of Brunei Darussalam on the implementation of strategic national development policies towards the achievement of the Brunei Vision 2035.
The leaders expressed satisfaction with the significant progress in the bilateral cooperation across various fields achieved since His Majesty’s State Visit to the Republic of Korea in December 2014.
With a view to continue the close exchanges at all levels including at the Brunei Darussalam – Republic of Korea Policy Consultative Meeting (PCM), they looked forward to the convening of the fifth PCM to be hosted by Brunei Darussalam in the near future.
In this regard, both leaders emphasised the importance of advancing trade and investment cooperation, a key pillar in the bilateral relations.
Brunei Darussalam appreciated the Republic of Korea’s participation in the infrastructure projects in Brunei Darussalam including the construction of the Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha Bridge and the ongoing Temburong Bridge project.
The President of the Republic of Korea expressed the hope to contribute further to the strengthening of the infrastructure of Brunei Darussalam, and in this regard, Brunei Darussalam welcomed investments and business presence from the Republic of Korea.
Both leaders expressed appreciation at the long-standing cooperation in the energy field, and looked forward to continuing discussions on exploring further collaboration in both the upstream and downstream oil and gas sectors as well as re-establishing cooperation with additional areas such as LNG value chain cooperation.
They also looked forward to the joint capacity building activities in Renewable Energy that Brunei Darussalam and the Republic of Korea will implement as co-chairs of the Renewable and Alternative Power Generation Work Stream under the East Asia Summit Cooperation.
In the area of e-government, both leaders took note of the continued cooperation between both governments and welcomed the ongoing discussions between the two sides on the renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in this area.
The two leaders welcomed the diffusion of digital technology and its application in people’s daily lives so that the well-being and the quality of life in the two countries continue to improve in the future.
Both leaders expressed satisfaction over the active cooperation in air services and tourism, and acknowledged the positive impact of increased number of direct flights between Bandar Seri Begawan and Incheon since December 2017.
They also emphasised the importance of people-to-people exchanges which serve as a valuable foundation for the bilateral relations and welcomed the active engagement between students, youth, tourists, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME)s, media and government officials.
They agreed to further enhance this cooperation, thereby strengthening mutual understanding and ties of friendship between the peoples of the two countries.
His Majesty and the President of Republic of Korea recalled the signing of the MoU on Defence Cooperation on September 13, 2018 and expressed confidence that its implementation would further enhance cooperation in the security and defence industries.
Both leaders looked forward to exploring deeper collaboration including in the defence industry and the field of defence technology.
They welcomed the signing of the MoU between the Brunei Intellectual Property Office (BruIPO) and the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) for the Recognition of KIPO as an International Searching Authority and International Preliminary Examination Authority (ISA/IPEA) under the Patent Cooperation Treaty, which will pave the way for cooperation in intellectual property rights.
Brunei Darussalam expressed appreciation for the Republic of Korea’s continued support for ASEAN Centrality in the evolving regional architecture, and both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen cooperation through the various ASEAN-led mechanisms such as the ASEAN Plus Three (APT), East Asia Summit (EAS), ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus).
His Majesty looked forward to facilitating the Republic of Korea’s continued engagement in efforts towards further deepening ASEAN-Republic of Korea relations guided by the Joint Declaration on Comprehensive Partnership; Joint Declaration on ASEAN-Republic of Korea Strategic Partnership for Dialogue Relation; and ASEAN-Republic of Korea Plan of Action 2016-2020 as well as expressed appreciation for the Republic of Korea’s New Southern Policy which aims to further strengthen and deepen ASEAN-Republic of Korea Strategic Partnership.
The leaders reaffirmed their shared commitment to multilateralism, support for the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter and compliance with international law.
Both sides reiterated their support for close cooperation in areas of common interest through dialogue and consultations at various regional forums including the Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation, Asia Cooperation Dialogue and Asia-Europe Meeting as building blocks in further strengthening the rules-based international system.
They pledge their support for preserving and strengthening the rules-based multilateral trading system, with the World Trade Organization at its core.
Brunei Darussalam welcomed the Republic of Korea’s intention to host the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in 2025 as a demonstration of commitment to enhancing regional economic integration.
Both sides will continue to work closely towards the expeditious conclusion of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
The joint statement reiterated the importance of maintaining the momentum of dialogue in order for the current process to move forward. Brunei Darussalam ensured its commitment to continue to support consultations and cooperation among the parties concerned to foster a favourable environment for dialogue and applauded the Republic of Korea’s efforts for its leading role in the recent development on the Korean Peninsula.
Both leaders emphasised the need for joint efforts by the international community towards the goal of complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula and establishment of lasting peace and stability in the region.
President Moon Jae-in expressed his deep gratitude to His Majesty for the warm welcome and hospitality extended to him and his delegation during the visit and looked forward to reciprocating the welcome on the occasion of the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit, to be held in the Republic of Korea in November 2019.