Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính (left) pays a courtesy visit to Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

JAKARTA — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính met with Sultan of Brunei Darussalam Haji Hassanal Bolkiah on Saturday as part of the ASEAN Leaders’ Meeting held in Indonesia.

The Sultan of Brunei repeated his congratulation to Chính on his recent election as the Prime Minister of Việt Nam and praised the country’s achievements in COVID-19 prevention and control, socio-economic development, and external relations.

He stressed that the nation successfully undertook the ASEAN chairmanship last year, coming up with many initiatives contributing to the bloc’s peace, cooperation, and growth.  

The Vietnamese PM congratulated Brunei on its progress in pandemic control, and said that Việt Nam attaches great importance to fostering relations with Brunei and supports Brunei’s 2021 ASEAN chairmanship.

Acknowledging positive progress in bilateral relations in the past, both leaders emphasised the upgrade of the Việt Nam – Brunei relations to a comprehensive partnership in 2019 during the Sultan’s visit to Việt Nam as an important milestone, creating a driving force for their cooperation to be increasingly consolidated and enhanced.

They agreed upon key areas for collaboration in the future, which include increasing high-level exchanges and in-person meetings when conditions allow, organising the second meeting of the two countries’ joint cooperation committees at the foreign ministerial level in 2021, building an action programme to implement their comprehensive partnership over the next five years, and promoting the effectiveness of bilateral joint works in energy, agriculture, and education.   

The leaders concurred to fortify economic ties and add new suitable sectors to the current cooperation in a bid to double bilateral trade in the future.

Brunei will assist Vietnamese companies in production and issue licences allowing Vietnamese Halal products to enter the local market.

The two countries’ leaders said they encourage Vietnamese and Brunei firms to expand their investment and trade relationships and support the two nations’ increasing collaboration at sea, particularly in aquaculture, seafood processing and information and experience exchange on law enforcement.  

Expressing his gratitude toward Brunei’s support for Việt Nam’s positions as the Chair of ASEAN last year and a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2020-21 term, PM Chính asked Brunei to support Việt Nam’s proposal to host the ASEAN Centre for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases.  

The Sultan invited Chính to visit Brunei, which he accepted with pleasure. The Vietnamese PM also offered an invitation to the Sultan to visit Việt Nam once more. — VNS