Bandar Seri Begawan - The 11th bilateral consultative meeting between Brunei Darussalam and the Sultanate of Oman was held yesterday. The meeting was attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade II, Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Dewa Dato Seri Setia Lim Jock Seng, and Sayyid Badr Bin Hamad Bin Hamood Al-Busaidi, Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Sultanate of Oman, who is in the country for a three-day visit.

They discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on regional and international affairs. Sayyid Badr is leading a four-member delegation to the I lth bilateral consultative meeting with their Brunei counterparts.

Brunei and Oman established diplomatic relations in March 1984. Since then, cooperation has expanded into a number of areas including energy, economic and investment, education, defence, culture and health.

During his visit to the country, His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam granted an audience to Sayyid Badr. The Omani delegation also heard a briefing on the Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB) delivered by its Acting Chairman, Timothy Ong at the i-Centre yesterday. The visiting Omani delegation will visit Kg Ayer Culture and Tourism Gallery today.

In April this year, His Majesty made a state visit to Oman. At the meeting, Brunei's ministers reviewed possible areas of cooperation in oil and gas Sector as well as the current trends related to the oil and gas prices with their counterparts.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to improve the framework for bilateral investment and trade relations and the establishment of Joint Investment Fund between the Sultanates was also signed. It was a US$100 million fund, which is equally shared between the two states and based in Muscat.

The MoU provides for the setting up of a joint venture company known as 'Oman-Brunei Investment Co' for the purpose of making investments in infrastructure, tourism, health, telecommunications, utility and other sectors in Oman, Brunei and neighbouring markets.

Trade statistics showed that Brunei's exports to the Sultanate of Oman in 2007 stood at $602,913 and imports at $69,519, down compared to figures in the past four years. In 2006, exports stood at $683,041 and imports $189,355.

His Majesty also made a state visit to Oman in 1984 and visited again a year later to attend the country's national day celebrations. A high level exchange of visits have been made since 1984 including the visit by His Royal Highness Prince Mohamed Bolkiah, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, in 1984, 1985 and 1992 and by HRH Princess Hjh Masna, Ambassador-at-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, in 1995, 1997 and 2000 for bilateral consultative meetings.

A joint working group called bilateral consultative meeting was established in 1993 to enhance ties. Before yesterday, 10 meetings had taken place alternately in the capitals of both countries, the last in Muscat in February 2008.

About a dozen agreements and MoUs have been signed by the two countries since 1988 with the latest by the two ministries of health in February 2009 and an agreement on the avoidance of double taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income in February 2008.

The two countries cooperate in education, health, oil and gas and defence. In education, for instance, a group of secondary school students from Brunei visited Oman in February this year, while 13 Omani students have graduated from UBD under Brunei scholarships.

In oil and gas, there are 21 Bruneians from BSP Sdn Bhd currently working for Petroleum Development of Oman and Oman LNG, while 12 Omanis are working at BSP and BLNG. On the whole, there are currently 94 Bruneians residing in Oman including family members, working in the private sector staff at the embassy and their families.-- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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