| Hakim Hayat |
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 in a titah expressed confidence that bilateral ties between Brunei and Bangladesh will continue to prosper through mutual cooperation in various fields.
The monarch made the remarks during an official banquet at Istana Nurul Iman yesterday evening that His Majesty and Her Majesty Duli Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha binti Al-Marhum Pengiran Pemancha Pengiran Anak Haji Mohamed Alam hosted in honour of the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, who is in the country for a three-day official visit.
Also in attendance were His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Her Royal Highness Paduka Seri Pengiran Anak Isteri Pengiran Anak Sarah binti Pengiran Haji Salleh Ab Rahaman; His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Malik and Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Anak Isteri Pengiran Raabi’atul ‘Adawiyyah binti Pengiran Haji Bolkiah; His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Mateen; His Royal Highness Prince Mohamed Bolkiah; His Royal Highness Prince Haji Jefri Bolkiah; Her Royal Highness Princess Hajah Masna, Ambassador-at-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and Her Royal Highness Princess Hajah Amal Umi Kalthum Al-Islam.
As this is the first visit to Brunei by the Bangladeshi prime minister, His Majesty said, “This reflects the personal and warm friendship between both governments and also the people of both countries. It marks a significant milestone in our bilateral ties which began 35 years ago when we established diplomatic relations”.
His Majesty also noted the progress in the cooperation between Brunei and Bangladesh in many areas of mutual interest and the active exchanges between the people of both countries.
The monarch expressed his confidence that the signing of several Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) between both sides yesterday will further cement the much-valued ties between the two countries and ensure they will continue to develop further. He also acknowledged the contributions of Bangladesh nationals in Brunei’s development including in the health, education and construction sectors.
His Majesty noted further that Brunei and Bangladesh continue to work closely together in various regional and international fora including ASEAN, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), and the United Nations (UN), and lauded Bangladesh’s active role in world affairs.
“Bangladesh’s efforts are highly commendable especially in providing humanitarian assistance and contributing to the UN peacekeeping missions,” His Majesty added.
In her reply speech, the visiting prime minister expressed her delight to be in Brunei with her delegation of ministers and business leaders, and noted that since the establishment of diplomatic missions in both countries, Brunei and Bangladesh continue to enjoy an excellent relationship solidly founded on shared values of religion, culture and many commonalities.
The Prime Minister said that Bangladesh’s current drive to implement a comprehensive economic initiative is also an opportunity to promote closer cooperation between both countries.
“We agreed to work together to promote deeper cooperation between our two countries. We have identified the potential areas of cooperation and also witnessed the signing of seven bilateral instruments. I also had the privilege of attending a business forum between both countries and had interactions to identify potential areas of cooperation,” she added.
The official banquet commenced with the recitation of Doa Selamat by State Mufti Pehin Datu Seri Maharaja Dato Paduka Seri Setia (Dr) Ustaz Haji Awang Abdul Aziz bin Juned.
