Bandar Seri Begawan (The Brunei Times/ANN) – Brunei Darussalam and the State of Qatar embarked on a new era of friendship and cooperation yesterday with the signing of two Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) and two agreements that will further strengthen ties between the two countries. His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam also expressed same sentiment in his titah yesterday when the monarch said that he believed that there are still many areas where Brunei and the State of Qatar can expand their cooperation and strengthen their friendship. “Brunei Darussalam greatly values the excellent ties that we have with the State of Qatar,” His Majesty said, adding that since the establishment of diplomatic relations more than 20 years ago, the two countries have continued to progress satisfactorily. The presence of the Emir of Qatar, His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, on his one-day state visit to Brunei has marked an important milestone in bilateral relations, expressed His Majesty during his bilateral meeting with the Emir of Qatar. “Our ministers and officials have had very substantive discussions on many areas of mutual interest including an agreement to upgrade diplomatic missions to the level of embassies,” said the monarch in his titah. “Our missions in our respective capitals have made a great effort to develop and enhance cooperation between our two countries,” His Majesty continued. “It is good to see that our bilateral relations are beginning to take on a new and more substantive form,” His Majesty commended, explaining that both countries will continue to promote close contacts between their people in all walks of life and interests. “I am happy that our relevant agencies met earlier this month to identify areas that we can work on together such as opportunities in trade, investment, energy, food security, education and culture,” His Majesty said in the conclusion of his titah. His Highness Sheikh Hamad while extending his greeting and best wishes to the government and the people of Brunei Darussalam in achieving more progress and prosperity, said: “I'm confident that our discussions will greatly enhance and support the mutual cooperation between our two countries in all areas for the well-being and interest of our people.” His Majesty and His Highness Sheikh Hamad then witnessed the signing of four documents following the bilateral meeting held at Baitul Masyuarah, Istana Nurul Iman, yesterday. The fours documents comprise an agreement on Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income and another agreement on Economic, Commercial and Technical Cooperation between the Government of His Majesty and the Government of the State of Qatar. Signing both agreements on behalf of Brunei Darussalam was Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Setia Dato Seri Setia Hj Abdul Rahman Hj Ibrahim, Minister of Finance II at the Prime Minister's Office, while the State of Qatar was represented by Yousef Hussain Kamal, Minister of Economy and Finance. This was followed by the signing of two MoUs on cultural and educational cooperation between the two countries. Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Laila Diraja Dato Seri Setia Hj Hazair Hj Abdullah, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, represented Brunei Darussalam while Dr Khaled bin Mohamed Al-Attiyah, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, represented Qatar. The MoU on educational cooperation was signed by Dato Seri Setia Hj Yusoff Hj Ismail, Acting Minister of Education, on Brunei's behalf while Dr Khaled bin Mohamed Al-Attiyah signed for Qatar. Also present at the signing ceremony were His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister's Office, and His Royal Highness Prince Mohamed Bolkiah, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Dewa Dato Seri Setia Lim Jock Seng, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade II was also at the ceremony. Also attending from the State of Qatar were Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Chief of Amiri Diwan, and Ahmed Ibrahim Al-Abdullah, Charge d' Affaires of the Embassy of the State of Qatar in Brunei. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/y6gdJ Tags: Brunei, Partnership, Trade Section: Business, East Asia, Qatar
