His Majesty signing the guestbook while President Arroyo watches
intently.
Sultan and President Arroyo inspecting the guard of honour.
His Majesty and President Arroyo at the Malacanang Palace,
Philippines.
Sultan smiling during the presentation of the honorary doctorate
degree in law at the National Institution of Science and
Mathematics, University of Philippines. Photos: Courtesy of
Information Dept
His Majesty meeting scholars at the National Institution of
Science and Mathematics, University of Philippines.
Brunei and the Philippines
reaffirmed their strong bilateral ties in a joint statement
yesterday on the occasion of His Majesty's 3-day State visit to
the Philippines.
It covered a range of issues
including defence, economy, tourism, education and ICT.
The following is the joint
press statement:
Both sides agreed that the
theme of the visit "The Philippines and Brunei Darussalam:
Steering the Centuries-old partnership to Meet Challenges and
Opportunities of the 21st Century," underscored the close
historical, political, economic, cultural and kinship ties that
have underpinned their stable and strong bilateral relations.
They reaffirmed their desire to further deepen and expand their
relations, with a view to helping each other in their respective
national development efforts as well as addressing regional and
international challenges of mutual concern.
Both sides welcomed the signing
of the Agreement on Merchant Shipping and Related Matters. They
underscored the importance of the agreement in promoting and
strengthening their bilateral economic relations as it sought to
improve the efficiency of maritime transport.
Both sides lauded the progress
in the proposed Memoranda of Understanding on Academic
Co-operation in Higher Education and on Tourism Co-operation,
which they intend to sign soonest possible. They noted the
significance of the MOU on Tourism in bringing about better
awareness and more tourist arrivals to both countries. They also
expressed the hope that the MOU on Academic Co-operation in High
Education would further broaden mutual co-operation in the field
of education and expand people-to-people relations.
The two sides emphasised the
importance of bilateral, regional and international co-operation
in combating terrorism. President Arroyo welcomed the interest
of Brunei Darussalam to accede to the Agreement on Information
Exchange and Establishment of Communication Procedures this year
as a significant step in forging a more determined and committed
regional response to terrorism in the Southeast Asian region.
They expressed satisfaction with the progress in the
implementation of the Agreement especially following the
convening of the Multilateral Simulation Exercise held in Manila
on January 14-16, 2003.
The two sides noted that the
MOU on Defence Co-operation signed in Brunei Darussalam in
August 2001 outlines a number of activities to enhance bilateral
defence activities between the two countries. They also looked
forward to the convening of the First Joint Working Committee,
which will be held either in Brunei Darussalam or the
Philippines. The naval exercise between the two countries is
scheduled to take place in Brunei Darussalam in April 2003.
The two sides reiterated the
need to convene the Joint Commission on Bilateral Co-operation
to plan, monitor and implement the wide range of areas of
co-operation between both countries. They welcomed the recent
agreement between their respective foreign ministers to convene
the inaugural meeting of the JCBC as soon as possible, to be
preceded by a senior officials meeting by the first half of this
year.
They also reiterated their
interest in pursing collaboration on information and
communication technology, in view of significant developments
and priorities in Brunei Darussalam's ICT sector. They also
agreed to explore ways in which Filipino expertise may be tapped
in this way.
Both sides reiterated their
commitment to facilitate the revitalisation of the Brunei
Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asean Growth Area
(BIMP-EAGA). They welcomed the active involvement of the Asian
Development Bank in the revitalisation efforts, particularly in
the development of small and medium enterprises in BIMP-EAGA.
They also welcomed the active participation of the private
sector in the efforts. Both sides noted the importance of
ensuring that the momentum of co-operation activities in EAGA is
sustained and that they look forward to the meeting of BIMP-EAGA
Senior Officials and Ministers later this year to further
discuss the strategies and directions for the development of the
sub-region.
As close Asean partners, the
two sides reiterated their commitment to building a stronger and
more united Asean and seeing to it that the decisions made
during the 8th Asean Summit in Phnom Penh in November 2002
including the implementation of the Asean Tourism Agreement and
the various initiatives on combating terrorism, would be fully
implemented.
The Philippines expressed
appreciation for the unwavering support and invaluable
assistance of Brunei Darussalam as a valued member of the OIC
Committee of Eight tasked to monitor peace and development
efforts in Mindanao. The Philippines likewise reiterated its
deep appreciation to Brunei Darussalam for its support and
contribution to the conclusion of the Declaration on the Conduct
of Parties in the South China Sea.
Both sides exchanged views on
vital regional and international issues and expressed the hope
that parties concerned with the situation in Iraq would exhaust
all diplomatic and peaceful means in addressing the issue. They
looked forward to the report of the UN Monitoring, Verification
and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) to the UN Security Council,
with the hope that the issue would be resolved in the interest
of world peace.
The two sides acknowledged the
benefits of both countries from Filipinos working in Brunei.
They also agreed that people-to-people relations, established on
deep historical and cultural ties, has provided a strong
foundation for the friendly and mutually beneficial relations
that exist between both countries.
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