29-4-2024 (BANGKOK) Brunei and Thailand took significant steps towards enhancing their bilateral relations on Monday as they signed two memorandums of understanding (MoUs) focusing on trade and tourism cooperation. The signing ceremony took place during an official visit by His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, and Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin.
The first MoU was signed between Thailand’s Government Pension Fund (GPF) and the Brunei Investment Agency (BIA), aiming to foster collaboration in the financial sector. The second MoU focused on cooperation between the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Thailand and the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism of Brunei, aiming to boost tourism ties between the two nations. These agreements were announced in a press statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
During their discussions at Government House, the leaders expressed satisfaction with the longstanding friendly relations between their countries and reiterated their commitment to further strengthening cooperation in various mutually beneficial areas. They also exchanged views on regional issues of common interest.
Both sides reaffirmed their dedication to deepening collaboration in trade, investment, the halal industry, tourism, the digital economy, and people-to-people exchanges through existing bilateral mechanisms. They agreed to establish a policy-level mechanism to devise concrete action plans for promoting bilateral trade and economic cooperation, with relevant agencies tasked to explore this further.
Furthermore, the leaders emphasized the importance of tourism cooperation and endorsed the “Six Countries, One Destination” scheme proposed by Thailand to enhance regional tourism collaboration. They also agreed to cooperate in health and wellness tourism, ecotourism, and Muslim-friendly tourism. Expanding flight routes from Brunei to Thailand was also identified as a shared objective.
The leaders also discussed key regional developments, emphasizing their commitment to the centrality of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Regarding the situation in Myanmar, they expressed a common goal of a peaceful, stable, and unified country. They called upon all parties involved to engage in constructive dialogue to resolve their differences and achieve a Myanmar-led and Myanmar-owned solution. Thailand’s initiative to scale up humanitarian assistance in Myanmar was warmly welcomed by Brunei.
