Closer Brunei, Malaysia Ties
By Sonia K

Bandar Seri Begawan - His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam last night upheld Brunei's close and friendly relations with Malaysia while urging both the nations to work together for find opportunities in trade and investment in the region and around the world.

"The relationship all this while between Brunei and Malaysia has brought us cooperation in various fields, especially in education, defence, trade, health and culture. In trade and investment, both countries have shown potential and success.

"This is the time for us to work together to grab trade and investment opportunities, not only regionally but also internationally," His Majesty said.

At a time when the world is facing challenges in the depletion of forest resources, environmental pollution and climate change, we are thankful that the two countries are still rich in various biological and green resources.

Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia recently launched the 'Heart of Borneo' project that has received support from all over the world, as well from organisations such as UNESCO and World Wildlife Fund. His Majesty hoped that this initiative would become an example for other countries in efforts to nurture tropical forests.

His Majesty also said that the initiative would hopefully become a catalyst for tourism cooperation, including transportation, immigration, marketing and investment.

His Majesty also congratulated Malaysia for its role in the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) and the Nonaligned Movement (NAM). The monarch also to congratulated the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, Malaysia's government and citizens for achieving 50 years of independence.

"Malaysia's success is a good example for developing counties in this region, as well as for other Islamic countries," His Majesty said.

The monarch also conveyed his appreciation to some 17,000 Malaysians that are working in Brunei currently.

In his speech, Yang Di-Pertuan Agong said Malaysia and Brunei have had a close and intimate relationship for a very long time in the aspects of history, culture, language, religion and nationality.

In recent years, the increase in cooperation has been achieved in various areas. The Yang Di-Pertuan Agong said he was certain that this cooperation could he further strengthened into other new areas, which would he beneficial for the two countries.

"A good relationship in economy between Malaysia and Brunei has a vast potential to grow In 2006, the amount of two-way trade exceeded RM1 I .54 billion, which is an eleven per cent increase from the previous year," he said.

The Yang Di-Pertuan Agong also welcomed Brunei to raise its investments in Malaysia. The Malaysian government also encourages Malaysian companies to invest in Brunei to assist in the country's efforts to diverse its economy, he said.

He also encouraged cooperation in defence by organising various trainings from time to time. He congratulated His Majesty's government for successfully organising a defence exhibition for the first time in Brunei.

At the international level, he said, both countries share the same stance in many matters, especially in global issues in various organisations participated by them like the United Nations, Asean, Organisation of Islamic Conference, Non-Aligned Movement, Commonwealth and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.

"I hope the aspiration and spirit of cooperation to fight for freedom, justice and sovereignty of nations will be pursued more actively towards global peace and balanced development," he said.

The Yang Di-Pertuan Agong and Raja Permaisuri Agong arrived yesterday and arc here on a three-day visit. This is their first visit to Brunei since Tuanku Mizan was installed as the 135 Yang Di-Pertuan Agong on April 26. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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