Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at the Bandar Seri Begawan Airport on Tuesday afternoon as he began a two-day visit to Brunei Darussalam-the first-ever bilateral trip by an Indian PM to the Southeast Asian nation-at the invitation of Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah.
"As we celebrate the 40 years of our diplomatic relations, I look forward to my meetings with His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah and other esteemed members of the Royal family to advance our historical relationship to new heights," said PM Modi in his departure statement ahead of his visit to Brunei Darussalam and Singapore.
The Prime Minister, besides bilateral discussions, will deliberate on discovering new areas of cooperation in areas pertaining to defence, trade and investment, energy, space technology, health, capacity building, culture, and vibrant people-to-people exchanges.
Last month, EAM S. Jaishankar had met Erywan Pehin Yusof, Foreign Minister of Brunei, on the sidelines of ASEAN meetings in Vientiane and jointly launched the logo celebrating 40 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Brunei Sultan had first met on the sidelines of the 25th ASEAN Summit at Nay Pyi Taw in November 2014. The two leaders also met during the 2017 East Asia Summit held in Manila.
In January 2018, Brunei Sultan visited India along with the 10 ASEAN Heads of State and Government to attend the ASEANIndia Commemorative Summit. The leaders were also 'Guests of Honour' at India's 69th Republic Day celebrations on January 26, 2018.
In 2013, then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Brunei Darussalam to attend the 11th ASEAN-India Summit and the 8th EAS Summit.
Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah was crowned as the 29th Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam in August 1968. He paid his first State Visit to India in September 1992. He again paid a State Visit to India in May 2008.
MEA further added that the government of Brunei Darussalam has also been continuously supportive of India's 'Look East' and 'Act East' policies for expansion and deepening of cooperation with ASEAN.
"Brunei is an important partner for India's Act East Policy and our vision for the Indo-Pacific, and with this being the tenth year of our 'Act East' Policy, the visit assumes added importance. Brunei was our country coordinator in ASEAN from 2012 to 2015 and played a key role in our further engagements with ASEAN and continues to do so today," Jaideep Mazumdar, MEA Secretary (East), said ahead of the PM's landmark visit.
Indian naval and coast guard ships have regularly visited Brunei, while for the first time, two Indian defence companies, Bharat Electronics Ltd and MKU Limited, participated in the Defence Industry Exposition organized by Brunei Armed Forces in June 2024. Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah and Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah visited the Indian stalls during the expo and appreciated the participation of the Indian companies.
Presently, there are approximately 14,500 Indians in Brunei Darussalam out of a total population of about 450,500. Of this total number of Indian expatriates in Brunei Darussalam, over half are semi and unskilled workers who find work in various industries of oil and gas, construction, retail businesses, etc. Similarly, there is a sizeable number of Indian doctors and teachers who work equally in Brunei.
From Brunei, PM Modi will also visit Singapore, a country with which India seeks to build further cooperation in the areas pertaining to digital and skill development, sustainability, health care, connectivity, and advanced manufacturing.
In his departure statement on Tuesday, PM Modi had said that he is looking forward to meeting Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong besides the leaders of Singapore's vibrant business community.
"I look forward to my discussions for deepening our Strategic Partnership with Singapore, especially in new and emerging areas like advanced manufacturing, digitalization, and sustainable development. Both countries are longtime partners in our Act East Policy and the Indo-Pacific Vision. I am confident that my visits will further strengthen our partnership with Brunei, Singapore, and the larger ASEAN region," said Prime Minister Modi.
The visiting Indian delegation to the second India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR), which was held in Singapore on Monday, included External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, and Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
The Indian ministerial delegation, during their visit to the country, also jointly called on Singapore Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong, who had led the Singapore delegation for the first ISMR held in New Delhi in September 2022.
"Glad that progress has been made on several fronts since our last meeting. And new ideas for cooperation are being pursued, including in advanced manufacturing and connectivity. These initiatives will pave the way for closer strategic cooperation and partnership between India and Singapore," the Singapore PM said after his meeting with the visiting Indian ministers on Monday.
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