BANDAR SRI BEGAWAN: Brunei Darussalam and the United Kingdom (UK) reaffirmed the positive trajectory of the Brunei Darussalam-UK relationship and their commitment to strengthening and deepening the bilateral partnership at the recent Fifth United Kingdom-Brunei Darussalam Strategic Dialogue at 1 Carlton Gardens, London.
Minister of Foreign Affairs II Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Erywan bin Pehin Datu Pekerma Jaya Haji Mohd Yusof co-chaired the dialogue with the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Indo-Pacific at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office of the United Kingdom, The Rt Hon Baroness Winterton of Doncaster DBE.
They reviewed cooperation between the two countries and discussed a wide range of bilateral, regional and global issues, including defence, security and maritime, trade and economy, energy, education, legal matters, education, and human rights.
In this regard, they welcomed progress made since the Fourth Strategic Dialogue and discussed opportunities to expand cooperation in both traditional and emerging areas of mutual interest.
They also reaffirmed their commitment to working closely and reaffirmed the importance of the values expressed in the United Nations Charter.
They underlined their shared commitment to strengthening multilateralism and the rule of law in addressing increasingly complex global challenges and advancing the Sustainable Development Goals.
They welcomed the progress achieved under the Strategic Dialogue framework and reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening bilateral cooperation across all areas of mutual interest. They also looked forward to the next UK-Brunei Darussalam Strategic Dialogue to be held in Brunei Darussalam in 2027.
The Strategic Dialogue established in November 2021 aims to promote and strengthen bilateral cooperation built on the foundations of the longstanding relations and special friendship between Brunei Darussalam and the UK. This relationship is underpinned by the shared history, strong government-to-government links, close educational ties and people-to-people connections.
Defence ties remain particularly significant, with Brunei Darussalam continuing to host British Forces Brunei, contributing to regional security, stability and prosperity. – Borneo Bulletin/ANN
