Friday 20 / December / 2024
Bandar Sari Begawan: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Brunei Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah discussed emerging areas of bilateral cooperation like FinTech, digital technology, renewable energy and digital payment systems, Secretary East, Ministry of External Affairs, Jaideep Mazumdar, said on Wednesday.
In a video shared by Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, Secretary East Jaideep Mazumdar called PM Modi's visit to Brunei "fruitful." He said that Brunei Sultan received PM Modi at the royal palace and they held discussions on how to take forward the bilateral ties.
On PM Modi's visit to Brunei, Mazumdar stated, "Today, ahead of the talks, he was received at the Royal Palace by His Majesty, Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah and they had detailed discussions on how to take the bilateral relations forward and they covered a wide area of defense, trade and investment, space, energy, health, culture and people to people relations."
"It is a matter of happiness that Brunei is going to start direct flights to India from Bandar Sari Begawan to Chennai are planned for later this year. Also they discussed emerging areas of bilateral cooperation such as FinTech, the digital technology, digital payment systems as well as renewable energy," he added.
He stated that PM Modi and Brunei Sultan discussed ASEAN-related matters as well as regional and international matters.
Calling space an important area of bilateral cooperation, MEA Secretary stated, "Space has traditionally been an important area of bilateral cooperation. India's telemetry tracking and command station is located in Brunei, and both sides signed an MoU to take this relationship further forward."
"They also discussed regional and international matters, as also ASEAN-related matters, which is central to India's Act-East policy and our vision for the Indo-Pacific. A joint statement was issued that elevates the relationship to an enhanced partnership. His Majesty hosted a lunch for Prime Minister," he added.
He said that PM Modi was on a "historic visit" to Brunei and noted that it is the first bilateral visit by an Indian PM to Brunei and coincides with the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations.
Jaideep Mazumdar stated that PM Modi received warm welcome upon arrival in Bandar Sari Begawan. He said that Indian diaspora members also greeted PM Modi.
He said, "Upon arrival in Bandar Sari Begawan, the Prime Minister was accorded a warm welcome by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. There was a ceremonial welcome and an inspection of a guard of honor at the airport."
"On arrival, the Prime Minister was greeted by an enthusiastic group of diaspora members. He later in the evening inaugurated the new Chancery Premises of the High Commission of India in Brunei. It is an aesthetically designed building with Indian motifs and architectural design while at the same time being of contemporary character. He was greeted at the High Commission too by an enthusiastic crowd from the diaspora," he added.
Speaking on PM Modi's visit to Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, the MEA official said, "The Prime Minister visited the iconic Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque. It is known for its architectural beauty and its special historical and cultural significance in Brunei. It is named after the 28th Sultan of Brunei. There too he met members of the Indian diaspora."
He said India will mark 10th anniversary of Act East Policy in 2024. Highlighting enhanced focus on Act East policy, Mazumdar stated, " As you all know, this is the 10th anniversary of India's Act East Policy announced by Prime Minister in 2014, and it is a measure of the continued and, in fact, enhanced focus on our Act East Policy that within the first 100 days of this new government, we have had incoming visits from the Prime Minister of Vietnam and the Prime Minister of Malaysia to India."
"Rashtrapati ji has visited Timor-Leste, Fiji, and New Zealand. And now we have had the visit of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji to Brunei, and from Brunei, he will be traveling to Singapore on the next leg of his visit," he added.
PM Modi has concluded his "productive visit" to Brunei and departed for Singapore. He expressed gratitude to the people and the government of Brunei for their hospitality and affection.
In a post on X, PM Modi stated, "My visit to Brunei Darussalam was productive. It ushers in a new era of even stronger India-Brunei ties. Our friendship will contribute to a better planet. I am grateful to the people and Government of Brunei for their hospitality and affection."
In his statement released on Tuesday, PM Modi said that he looked forward to meeting Singaporean counterpart Lawrence Wong, Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and other senior leaders.
PM Modi stated, "From Brunei, I will travel to Singapore on 04 September. I look forward to the opportunity to meet President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong. I will also meet with leaders of the Singapore's vibrant business community."
" I look forward to my discussions to deepen our Strategic Partnership with Singapore, particularly in new and emerging areas of advanced manufacturing, digitalization, and sustainable development," he added.
Calling Brunei and Singapore "important partners" in India's Act East policy and Indo-Pacific vision, PM Modi expressed confidence that his visits would further strengthen India's partnership with these two nations and the larger ASEAN region.
