Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính (left) and Sultan of Brunei Haji Hassanal Bolkiah at their meeting in Vientiane, Laos, on October 9. VNA/VNS photo

VIENTIAN – Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính met with Sultan of Brunei Haji Hassanal Bolkiah in Vientiane, Laos, on October 9 on the sidelines of the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits.

At the meeting, PM Chính thanked Sultan Bolkiah for sending a message of sympathy and emergency aid to help Việt Nam overcome the consequences of typhoon Yagi, emphasising that this is a clear demonstration of the friendship and sharing between the leaders and people of the two countries.

The two leaders expressed their satisfaction to see that the Việt Nam - Brunei Comprehensive Partnership has continued to maintain positive development momentum. They agreed to deepen the bilateral relationship in a more practical manner, contributing to building a strong, resilient and sustainable ASEAN Community.

Regarding the focus of cooperation in the coming time, the two leaders agreed to increase the exchange of high-level delegations; coordinate to effectively deploy bilateral cooperation mechanisms and the Action Programme to implement the Việt Nam - Brunei Comprehensive Partnership for the period of 2023 - 2027.

PM Chính proposed Brunei pay attention and create favourable conditions in licensing Vietnamese fishing vessels and fishermen to exploit seafood in Brunei's waters; soon extend the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation on the use of the hotline to exchange information to address illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

The Sultan of Brunei affirmed that he will soon arrange a state visit to Việt Nam; agreed to further deepen the friendly relations with Việt Nam, strengthen cooperation in trade, agriculture, fishery, and oil and gas. The Sultan also highly appreciated that the two countries will soon sign a MoU on cooperation in the field of Halal, agreeing to promote cooperation and participation in the global Halal goods and food supply chain.

The two leaders also discussed international and regional issues of mutual concern, agreeing to maintain solidarity, unity and the central role of ASEAN in the region; ensure peace, stability, security, safety, freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea on the basis of international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS); soon achieve an effective and efficient Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) in accordance with international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS. VNA/VNS