Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính (left) and Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah on Wednesday. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

JAKARTA — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính on Wednesday met the Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah on the sideline of the ongoing 43rd ASEAN Summit and related meetings in Jakarta, Indonesia.

At the meeting, both sides reached consensus on the impressive developments in bilateral ties, especially those in the fields of trade, oil and gas, security-defence, and people-to-people exchange.

PM Chính suggested the two nations work towards the signing of an intergovernmental agreement on rice trading so as to make contributions to ensuring global food security; while promoting cooperation to develop Việt Nam's Halal food industry for export to Brunei.

Việt Nam and Brunei should enhance collaboration and exchange experience in petrochemical development, he said, asking the Bruneian side to present scholarships to Vietnamese students and expand training cooperation to the fields of technology, green economy, and digital transformation, among others.

For more substantial developments of the Việt Nam-Brunei Comprehensive Partnership, PM Chính said it is necessary for the two nations to expand defence-security cooperation and direct exchanges between forces of both sides.

For his part, the Sultan of Brunei spoke highly of the official visit to Brunei by PM Chính earlier this year, saying it has created an impetus for bilateral relations and the effective implementation of the action plan to roll out the comprehensive partnership in 2023-2027.

Expressing his delight at the close cooperation between enterprises of both sides, the Sultan affirmed that he will create favourable conditions for Vietnamese firms to use Brunei’s logistics facilities to boost exports.

Both leaders also reaffirmed their stance on regional and international issues of mutual concern.

The Vietnamese Government leader took the occasion to repeat an invitation to the Sultan of Brunei to visit Việt Nam, and the latter said he will visit the country soon. — VNS