Permanent Secretary (Policy, Finance and Administration) at the Ministry of Defence Colonel (Rtd) Norsuriati Sharbini in a group photo. - MINDEF
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (Borneo Bulletin/Asia News Network): The Ministry of Defence of Brunei Darussalam (MinDef) and the Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom (UK) held their 16th Joint Defence Committee (JDC) meeting at the Ministry of Defence Main Building in London on Wednesday (Jan 25).
The meeting was co-chaired by Permanent Secretary (Policy, Finance and Administration) at the MinDef Colonel (Rtd) Norsuriati binti Haji Sharbini and Head of Indo-Asia Pacific at the Ministry of Defence in the UK Jonathan Knight. Defence and military officials from both countries were also in attendance.
During the meeting, both sides reaffirmed the strong and longstanding defence relations between the Sultanate and the UK and expressed their satisfaction on the active defence and military interactions that have taken place in recent years, despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The JDC meeting also discussed ways to enhance bilateral defence cooperation and exchanged views on areas of mutual interest. The convening of the JDC demonstrates both countries’ strong commitment to their overall defence relations and contributions to regional and global peace and security.
The defence relations between Brunei and the UK are strengthened by various defence agreements and encompass a wide range of interactions, including exchange of visits, joint military exercises, trainings, courses and meetings.
The JDC between the two countries was established in December 2002 and the last meeting was held in the Sultanate on September 27, 2018.
