Malaysia (Commonwealth Union)_ Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei met with Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as part of His Majesty’s special visit to Malaysia to boost bilateral relations. The purpose of the meeting was to assess the status of Malaysia-Brunei Darussalam cooperation and examine the prospects for improving their bilateral relationship and collaboration for their mutual benefits.
When the Sultan’s flight landed at the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) base in Subang, some 41 kilometers away, to everyone’s surprise, His Majesty personally drove his son Pengiran Muda ‘Abdul Mateen Bolkiah and Anwar to Kompleks Seri Perdana for the meeting that afternoon. PM Anwar, seated in the front passenger seat of the vehicle, was observed waving to the reporters. A group of police outriders and security cars escorted the Sultan’s vehicle.
The high-level meeting was also attended by Pengiran Muda ‘Abdul Mateen and Tan Sri Mohd Zuki Ali, Malaysian Chief Secretary to the Government. Sultan Hassanal is the first foreign leader to meet Anwar following his November 24 appointment as Malaysia’s tenth Prime Minister. Before the opening of the meeting, the prayers were performed by the Brunei mufti Ustaz Awang Abdul Aziz Juned. During the meeting, PM Anwar and Sultan Hassanal had discussions for about an hour. Following the meeting, the two leaders also swapped mementos, which was followed by a royal lunch.
According to reports, the Sultan’s last trip to Kuala Lumpur was between March 4 and 6, 2019, to take part in the 22nd Annual Leaders’ Consultation between Malaysia and Brunei. Malaysia and Brunei have a longstanding unique relationship based on their shared history and culture, as well as the connection between their people. Brunei was Malaysia’s 30th largest trading partner in 2021, and the sixth largest in Asia, based on total trade worth of US$1.94 billion (RM8.03bn).
