Following the guard of honour, members of the Indian community welcomed the Prime Minister
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today received a warm welcome from members of the Indian community in Brunei Darussalam.
The Prime Minister arrived in Brunei Darussalam this afternoon at the invitation of Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, marking the first bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the Southeast Asian country.
Upon his arrival, Prime Minister Modi was received by Crown Prince Haji Al-Muhtadi Billah at the Bandar Seri Begawan Airport and accorded a welcome ceremony.
Following the guard of honour, the Prime Minister was welcomed by members of the Indian community who came to bid him farewell. During his conversation, PM Modi could be seen signing a drawing made by a child as the crowd celebrated the moment.
During the visit, the Prime Minister will engage in bilateral discussions focusing on multiple areas such as defence, trade and investment, energy, space technology, health, culture and people-to-people exchanges.
“This visit is special as it is the first bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister and comes as the two countries celebrate 40 years of diplomatic relations this year,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post by X.
The visit is part of a three-day bilateral visit to Brunei and Singapore. According to the MEA, the Government of Brunei has been supporting India’s “Look East” and “Act East” policy to deepen cooperation with ASEAN.
“Brunei is an important partner in India’s Act East policy and our vision for the Indo-Pacific, and as we celebrate a decade of our ‘Act East’ policy this year, this visit has added significance. Brunei has been our country’s coordinator in ASEAN. From 2012 to 2015, ASEAN played an important role in our enhanced engagement and continues to do so today,” MEA Secretary (East) Jaideep Majumder told news agency IANS.
