Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh and Second Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brunei Dato Erywan Pehin Yusof met in Hanoi on March 25 on the threshold of the state visit to Vietnam by Brunei Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah.
Minh spoke highly of the positive development of the friendship and multi-dimensional cooperation between Vietnam and Brunei as well as the close, efficient cooperation between the two foreign ministries and competent agencies in preparing for the visit by the Brunei Sultan, saying the visit will take bilateral ties to a new height.
Host and guest discussed measures to deepen the bilateral ties, including the maintenance of high-level visits and the effective implementation of bilateral cooperation mechanisms which covers the organization of the second joint committee on bilateral cooperation in Brunei in 2019.
They agreed to consider extending the exemption duration for ordinary passport holders of the two countries and ratchet up cooperation in fields of the two countries’ strength and potential, like defence, security, trade-investment, energy, agriculture, marine cooperation, labour, education and training.
Regarding international issues and bilateral cooperation at multilateral forums, the officials agreed to coordinate in promoting solidarity and central role of ASEAN in regional strategic and security issues, especially during the time Vietnam and Brunei taking on the ASEAN Chair role in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
They emphasized support for the settlement of disputes in the East Sea by peaceful measures based on international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 (UNCLOS), not using or threatening to use force, abiding by the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and quickly completing a comprehensive, practical, effective, and legally-binding Code of Conduct on the East Sea (COC).
VNA/VNP
