State dignitaries, Cabinet ministers, foreign diplomats to Brunei Darussalam and senior government officials gathered at Istana Nurul Iman on the first day of Hari Raya celebration on Thursday. Among them was Charge d’Affaires at the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Brunei Darussalam Hani Yahya Maghrabi, who has been serving in the Sultanate for seven months.
He told the Bulletin that he was honoured to meet 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, and His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office during the event.
“It is great sharing this celebration with our brothers in Brunei. We appreciate the great relationship between our countries,” the ambassador said.
He shared that his family feels at home in Brunei and has been enjoying their stay especially with the friendly people in a peaceful country.
He also conveyed greetings and congratulations from the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and His Majesty King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, King of Saudi Arabia and His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia to His Majesty and the royal family of Brunei on the Raya celebration. He also highlighted the special bilateral ties between Saudi Arabia and Brunei, particularly in facilitating Brunei citizens’ haj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, Indonesian Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam Achmad Ubaedillah said it was his first Raya open house at Istana Nurul Iman with the royal family and government officials.
He previously celebrated Raya in United States and Saudi Arabia, and found uniqueness and specialty in the celebration in each country. The ambassador also shared in Indonesia, Hari Raya is marked by traffic congestion. As such, he appreciated the calmer atmosphere in Brunei, especially during Ramadhan, where traffic is a lot lighter. Touching on the bilateral ties, he expressed hopes the relations will further enhance, especially in trade, peace and economy.
“Indonesia and Brunei have similar approaches to developing the Syariah economy as a Muslim nation,” he said.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam Tran Anh Vu also celebrated Hari Raya at the palace for the first time. He said through the celebration, he had a chance to better understand the rich culture of Brunei Darussalam. “I think between Vietnam and Brunei, we have a lot of cultural similarities, including the celebration of the new year with family and friends. These similarities help to strengthen the cooperation between the two countries,” he said.
He added, “In the future, we hope for the exchange of high-level visits between the two sides to be further promoted, together with actions and measures to strengthen cooperation in the areas of halal industry, energy, tourism and people-to-people exchanges.” – Lyna Mohamad
