Vladimir Putin held a meeting with Sultan of Brunei Darussalam Hassanal Bolkiah on the sidelines of the Russia-ASEAN summit

Meeting with Sultan of Brunei Darussalam Hassanal Bolkiah.
Photo: Kremlin.ru

Vladimir Putin held a meeting with Sultan of Brunei Darussalam Hassanal Bolkiah on the sidelines of the Russia-ASEAN summit, Kremlin informs.

On the Russian side, the meeting was attended by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Maxim Oreshkin, Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov, Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov, Minister of Science and Higher Education Valery Falkov, Minister of Energy Sergei Tsivilev, and Deputy Minister of Defence Alexei Krivoruchko.

The meeting was held at the Galiasgar Kamal Tatar State Academic Theatre in Kazan.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Your Majesty, Colleagues, friends,

It is a genuine pleasure to welcome you to Russia, here in Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan.

I am very grateful to you for making the journey to join us once again. Tomorrow, we will take part together in the summit marking the 35th anniversary of Russia-ASEAN relations.

This year, we also celebrate the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations between our countries, which were established on October 1, 1991.

Built on friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation over the past years, our interstate ties remain at a high level. That is reflected not only in our political dialogue, but also in our consistent action to expand mutual trade and deepen collaboration across key sectors, energy above all.

Our bilateral trade is showing positive momentum and is now approaching the billion-dollar threshold. In that context, I believe it would be worth considering the creation of a bilateral intergovernmental commission – a mechanism that would allow us to systematically deepen cooperation in fuel and energy, as well as in other promising areas.

There is also considerable potential in tourism and people-to-people exchanges, which are greatly facilitated by the two-week visa-free regime currently in place.

Your Majesty, we greatly appreciate Brunei’s consistently balanced position on international affairs, including on the highly complex and challenging issues confronting the world today. That, without doubt, is a reflection of your personal stature as one of the most experienced heads of state in the world.

It was Russia and Brunei, after all, that pioneered the idea of a pan-regional security architecture. And today, the Russia-ASEAN strategic partnership stands as an important stabilising factor in the Asia-Pacific region.

During the summit, together with the colleagues, we will be able to have a thorough exchange of views on how we can work together to strengthen peace and security in the region, against the backdrop of the current international situation.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah: Thank you, Mr President. It is a pleasure to meet you.

Let me begin by expressing my sincere appreciation to you and the Russian Federation for hosting the 35th ASEAN-Russia commemorative summit and for the generous hospitality accorded to me and my delegation.

I look forward to joining you and other ASEAN colleagues at the Summit and extend my best wishes and full support for a successful outcome.

It has been over a decade since my last visit to Russia, and I still cherish the fond memories of my earlier visit to your country. I am therefore delighted to be in Russia and to be in the beautiful city of Kazan for the first time.

I am looking back – with deep appreciation – on every opportunity we have had to meet over the years, from welcoming you to Brunei for the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in 2000 to your extensive virtual participation in the 4th ASEAN-Russia Summit and the 16th East Asia Summit during our ASEAN chairmanship in 2021. These exchanges have always been warm, and I look forward to our discussion today.

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