Bandar Seri Begawan (Brunei), Sep 3 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at the Bandar Seri Begawan Airport Tuesday afternoon as he began a two-day visit to Brunei Darussalam - the first ever bilateral trip by an Indian PM to the southeast Asian nation - at the invitation of Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah.
"As we celebrate the 40 years of our diplomatic relations, I look forward to my meetings with His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah and other esteemed members of the Royal family to advance our historical relationship to new heights," said PM Modi in his departure statement ahead of his visit to Brunei Darussalam and Singapore.
During his visit, the Prime Minister will engage in bilateral discussions focusing on exploring new areas for cooperation in multiple areas like defence, trade and investment, energy, space technology, health, capacity building, culture and vibrant people-to-people exchanges.
Last month, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar had met Erywan Pehin Yusof, Foreign Minister of Brunei on the sidelines of ASEAN meetings in Vientiane and jointly launched the logo celebrating 40 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Brunei Sultan met for the first time on the sidelines of 25th ASEAN Summit at Nay Pyi Taw in November 2014. They met once again during the 2017 East Asia Summit held in Manila.
In January 2018, the Brunei Sultan, along with the 10 ASEAN Heads of State and Government, visited India for the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit. The leaders were also 'Guests of Honour' at India's 69th Republic Day celebrations on January 26, 2018.
In 2013, then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Brunei Darussalam to participate in the 11th ASEAN-India Summit and the 8th EAS Summit.
Crowned as the 29th Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam in August 1968, Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah undertook his first State Visit to India in September, 1992. His second State Visit to India came in May, 2008.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Brunei Darussalam government has been supportive of India's 'Look East' and 'Act East' policies for expansion and deepening of cooperation with ASEAN.
"Brunei is an important partner for India's Act East Policy and our vision for the Indo-Pacific, and as we mark a decade of our 'Act East' Policy this year, the visit assumes additional significance. Brunei has been our country coordinator in ASEAN from 2012 to 2015 and played a key role in our further engagements with ASEAN and continues to do so today," Jaideep Mazumdar, MEA Secretary (East), said ahead of the PM's landmark visit.
Indian naval and coast guard ships have also regularly visited Brunei and two Indian defence companies - Bharat Electronics Ltd and MKU Limited - participated in the Defence Industry Exposition organised by Brunei Armed Forces in June 2024 for the first time. Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah and Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah visited the Indian stalls during the expo and appreciated the Indian companies' participation.
There are currently around 14,500 Indians living in Brunei Darussalam out of the total population of about 450,500 with more than half of the Indian expatriates being semi and unskilled workers, who work in oil and gas industries construction, retail businesses, etc. There is also a substantial number of Indian doctors and teachers working in Brunei.
After Brunei, PM Modi will travel to Singapore - a country with which India is exploring enhanced cooperation in digital, skill development, sustainability, healthcare, connectivity and advanced manufacturing areas.
In his departure statement on Tuesday, PM Modi said that he is looking forward to meeting Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong besides the leaders of Singapore's vibrant business community.
"I look forward to my discussions to deepen our Strategic Partnership with Singapore, particularly in new and emerging areas of advanced manufacturing, digitalization, and sustainable development. Both countries are important partners in our Act East Policy and the Indo-Pacific Vision. I am confident that my visits would further strengthen our partnership with Brunei, Singapore and the larger ASEAN region," said Prime Minister Modi.
Last week, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw led the Indian delegation at the second India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR) held in Singapore on Monday.
During their visit, the Indian ministerial delegation also jointly called on Singapore Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong who had led the Singapore delegation for the first ISMR held in New Delhi in September 2022.
"Glad that progress has been made on several fronts since our last meeting. And new ideas for cooperation are being pursued, including in advanced manufacturing and connectivity. These initiatives will pave the way for closer strategic cooperation and partnership between India and Singapore," the Singapore PM said after his meeting with the visiting Indian ministers on Monday.