His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al- Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam on Friday left Riyadh, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia after attending the ASEAN-GCC Summit.
Accompanying His Majesty was His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Mateen.
Prior to departure, a Doa Selamat was recited by the State Mufti Pehin Datu Seri Maharaja Dato Paduka Seri Setia Dr Ustaz Haji Awang Abdul Aziz bin Juned.
Present at King Khalid International Airport to bid farewell to His Majesty was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Brunei Darussalam Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Buraithin. Also present was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Brunei Darussalam to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Dato Seri Setia Haji Awang Yusoff bin Haji Awang Ismail.
The ASEAN–GCC Summit was co-chaired by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Indonesia, as the Chair of ASEAN this year. In this Summit, ASEAN and GCC Heads of State and Government gathered for the first time and discussed the future direction of ASEAN-GCC cooperation as well as regional and international issues of common concern.
At the end of the Summit, the Joint Statement of the Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and the ASEANGCC Statement on the Developments in Gaza were issued. In addition, the ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council Framework of Cooperation 2024-2028 was noted.
ASEAN-GCC relations were formally established in 1990 and since then, cooperation between ASEAN and the GCC have encompassed various areas such as trade, economic cooperation, and development, as well as culture, education, and information.
