Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (CU)_ Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah reaffirmed Malaysia’s commitment to strengthening ties with Brunei Darussalam in the domains of economics and commerce, education, and defense, as well as economic cooperation involving Sabah and Sarawak.
According to Datuk Seri Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin, Istana Negara Comptroller of the Royal Household, His Majesty made the pledge at a meeting with the Sultan of Brunei, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, at the Brunei Palace in London. He stated that the two kings discussed the long-standing, friendly bilateral relationship and the attempts to enhance the ties.
According to Ahmad Fadil’s post on Istana Negara’s Facebook page, “The Yang di-Pertuan Agong expressed confidence that trade and investment flows between Malaysia and Brunei can be strengthened and more economic cooperation can be explored for mutual benefit”. According to him, Al-Sultan Abdullah viewed the Malaysia-Brunei Annual Leaders’ Consultation as a crucial medium to further deepen the bilateral ties between the two nations.
The King also remarked that Malaysia appreciated the Brunei government’s decision to completely reopen its borders on August 1, thereby enabling the mobility of people from both countries, particularly in Sarawak and Sabah, and encouraging commercial activity between the common borders of the two nations. Earlier, Malaysia and Brunei have expressed their interest to deepen and foster closer defense relations through a cooperation between the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) and Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF). According to a joint statement, this collaboration would focus on sectors of strategic importance through regular exchanges of visits, training and military practices.
