Malaysia, Brunei to enhance cooperation
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) — Leaders of Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam expressed satisfaction Monday with the progress in bilateral cooperations.
In a joint statement issued in conjunction with the 18th Annual Leaders’ Consultation held here, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib and the Sultan of Brunei Darussalam Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah welcomed the ongoing discussions to put into operation the provision of the Exchange of Letters relating to maritime access.
The statement stated that both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to maritime cooperation and urged the officials of both countries to continue discussions towards increasing collaboration in the area with a view to having a memorandum of understanding in maritime cooperation.
The two leaders reiterated the importance of strengthening cooperation in the agriculture, information, technology, communication and taxation sectors.
Najib and Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah noted the steadfast cooperation and partnership between Malaysia’s oil company Petronas and Brunei oil company Petroleum BRUNEI and welcomed the signing of the joint announcement by Petroleum BRUNEI and Petronas progressing their collaboration in Myanmar.
In the joint statement, the leaders recalled their discussion at the last Annual Leaders’ Consultation on matters relating to fishery cooperation between Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam, including traditional fishing grounds.
The leaders reiterated their commitment to enhancing economic cooperation between Brunei Darussalam and the Malaysia’s states of Sabah and Sarawak.
They encouraged the private sectors of both countries to further collaborate in accelerating bilateral trade and investment cooperation to deepen economic integration of the region towards the realization of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2015, the statement said.