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, yesterday held bilateral meetings with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Also present was His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Mateen.
At the bilateral meeting at Park Hyatt Melbourne, His Majesty congratulated Luxon on his appointment as the prime minister of New Zealand and said the meeting reaffirmed the important ties between Brunei Darussalam and New Zealand as this year marks the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations.
His Majesty then invited Luxon to visit the Sultanate as well as looks forward to further strengthening of the bilateral ties in the future.
His Majesty and the New Zealand prime minister also discussed bilateral relations and regional matters, including exploring opportunities to further expand and diversify trade, tourism and education; halal industry; working together on climate change; and discussing efforts to further enhance the ASEAN-New Zealand dialogue relations.
Luxon also invited His Majesty to visit New Zealand.
Meanwhile, during the meeting with the Australian prime minister Albanese at the Melbourne Convention Exhibition Centre (MCEC), during which His Majesty welcomed him to Brunei Darussalam.
In commemorating the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Brunei Darussalam and Australia as well as the 50th anniversary of ASEAN-Australia dialogue relations, His Majesty looked forward to further deepening the much-valued friendship and partnership for many more years.
His Majesty also underlined that the shared commitment between Brunei Darussalam and Australia in enhancing existing cooperation while exploring new areas is testament to the evolving friendship, where the two sides work closely to solidify the partnership with a joint plan of action.
His Majesty also expressed hope for the relations to continue in areas such as economy, energy, defence and people-to-people exchanges, noting Brunei’s interest to cooperate with Australia on energy transition and health.
His Majesty and the Australian prime minister also exchanged views on a wide range of topics, including bilateral, regional and international issues as well as the situation in Palestine.
A joint statement was issued at the end of the meeting.
