James Kon
Speaker of the Legislative Council (LegCo) Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Lela Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Abdul Rahman bin Dato Setia Haji Mohamed Taib yesterday received three separate courtesy calls – from the High Commissioner of Malaysia to Brunei Darussalam Dato’ Raja Reza bin Raja Zaib Shah; High Commissioner of India to Brunei Darussalam Alok Amitabh Dimri; and Ambassador of Korea to Brunei Darussalam Kim Soung-eun – at the Legislative Council building.
Secretary to the Cabinet Minister’s Meeting and Clerk to the LegCo Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Jaya Dato Paduka Haji Judin bin Haji Asar was also present.
During the courtesy call with Dato’ Raja Reza, the LegCo Speaker while welcoming the Malaysian High commissioner, hoped that the close bilateral relations between Brunei and Malaysia will continue to improve. The Malaysian High Commissioner also invited the Speaker of LegCo and delegation to visit Malaysia while the speaker welcomed Malaysian Parliamentarians to visit Brunei.
Discussions during the meeting included the strong cooperation between both countries especially in the field of education. Dato’ Raja Reza emphasised that Malaysia has become a popular destinations for higher education among Bruneian students adding that there are some 1,000 students currently studying in Malaysia.
The Malaysian High Commissioner conveyed his congratulations on the appointment of new LegCo Members and hope that the Malaysia High Commission in Brunei Darussalam will be able to continue to work together in various fields with the LegCo Members.
Brunei Darussalam and Malaysia have a close cooperation in various fields including trade and investment, defence, tourism, disaster management and information technology.
During the courtesy call with Alok Amitabh Dimri, Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Haji Awang Abdul Rahman congratulated the High Commissioner for his appointment and expressed appreciation for strong bilateral relations between the two countries, especially in the field of education and medicine.
The Indian High Commissioner shared the aspiration of exchange visit for Members of Parliament in both countries and at the same time exploring the possibility of establishing friendship between both parliaments.
Both ideas were welcomed by the LegCo Speaker. Among others discussed included current affairs with common interests like post COVID-19 tourism and economic development in Brunei Darussalam and India.
Meanwhile, during the courtesy call with Kim Soung-eun, Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Haji Awang Abdul Rahman hoped the appointment of the new Ambassador of Korea to Brunei Darussalam will strengthen bilateral relations between the Sultanate and Korea, especially among Parliament Members from both countries.
The LegCo Speaker also noted that the LegCo and the Korean National Assembly have strong ties in annual meetings, especially the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) and Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF).
The Korean ambassador also shared that both nations will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Brunei and Korea next year.
The Sultanate and Korea have close cooperation in several fields including economy, infrastructure, tourism, education and defence.
