The Sultan and Timor-Leste president Dr Jose Ramos-Horta inspecting the guard of honour mounted by RBAF personnel. - BB
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: His Majesty Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah welcomed the expansion of bilateral cooperation between the Sultanate and Timor-Leste since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2002, and looked forward to further enhancing the goodwill and friendship between both countries.
The monarch said this during a bilateral meeting with President of Timor-Leste Dr José Ramos-Horta at Baitul Mesyuarah on Monday (Nov 6).
His Majesty also held a four-eye meeting with the president, where both leaders discussed further strengthening bilateral relations.
The Sultan extended a warm welcome to the president on his first state visit to the sultanate, and highlighted that his last visit was more than 20 years ago.
The two leaders also emphasised the importance of existing cooperation including in areas of education and people-to-people exchanges, and welcomed the strengthening of relations in health and energy.
In addition, the Sultanate will offer two annual post-graduate scholarships over the next three years at selected tertiary institutions for Timorese students to further their studies in the country beginning in 2024.
Discussions also centred on the Sultanate’s continued support towards the accession of Timor-Leste to Asean, and touched on regional and international developments.
Following the bilateral meeting, the two leaders witnessed the signing ceremony of an MoU between both governments on the employment/recruitment of Timor-Leste workers to Brunei Darussalam. - Borneo Bulletin/ANN
