Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Mohd Amin Liew and Minister of Foreign Affairs II Dato Seri Setia Awang Erywan Pehin Datu Pekerma Jaya with Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and wife Jane Ittogi Shanmugaratnam at the airport. - Borneo Bulletin/ANN
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (Agencies): Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and spouse Jane Ittogi Shanmugaratnam as well as the delegation left Brunei after a three-day state visit.
Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Finance and Economy II Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Mohd Amin Liew Abdullah and spouse were present at the airport to bid farewell.
Minister of Foreign Affairs II Dato Seri Setia Awang Erywan Pehin Datu Pekerma Jaya Mohd Yusof and Minister of Development Dato Seri Setia Awang Muhammad Juanda Abdul Rashid and their spouses were also in attendance.
Speaking at a state banquet in Brunei on Thursday (Jan 25), Tharman highlighted how the relationship between the two countries has blossomed over four decades, citing defence cooperation and the Currency Interchangeability Agreement as examples of this symbiosis.
Looking ahead, he encouraged both countries to expand bilateral cooperation into new and emerging areas.
The President is in Brunei for a three-day state visit that started on Jan 24, at the invitation of the country’s monarch, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.
At the banquet hosted by the Sultan and his wife, Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha, Tharman said Singapore is committed to building on the solid foundation laid by the Sultan’s father, the late Seri Begawan Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien, and former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew.
“But underpinning it all must be the trust between us, and particularly between future generations of Bruneians and Singaporeans,” he said at the dinner banquet held at Istana Nurul Iman, Sultan Bolkiah’s official residence.
Tharman said he and the Sultan encouraged both sides to accelerate efforts to explore innovative and mutually beneficial projects.
These include in areas such as the green economy, where Tharman said Brunei has the potential to develop renewable energy on a significant scale – well beyond its own domestic needs – and which can be integrated within an Asean energy grid.
Aquaculture industries show significant promise in Brunei, and officials on both sides are “actively looking” to collaborate in this area. Tharman said cold-chain logistics for these industries could also be developed.
He also highlighted the area of digital finance, noting that Brunei will soon be launching a domestic system for instant payments.
Tharman said: “There will be clear benefits to consumers and businesses on all sides when we integrate this with Singapore’s PayNow and similar systems in the rest of Asean.”
The trip is Tharman’s first overseas state visit since taking office, and this year marks the 40th anniversary of bilateral relations being established between both countries.
Sultan Bolkiah, who spoke before Tharman, said it is important for both countries to continue working together to safeguard common aspirations and interests.
“Beyond our bilateral ties, Brunei Darussalam has always valued the cooperation and support Singapore has given us in Asean, especially as we work towards the Asean Community Vision 2045, and in promoting regional peace and prosperity.”
Tharman also spoke of why both countries should collaborate, saying: “As small nation-states whose core interests are best served by an open and rules-based international economic order, we seek a high level of ambition in our cooperation.”
