Brunei joined the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on January 7, 1984, 6 days after the resumption of full independence, and since then its membership in ASEAN has been a priority in foreign policy. Brunei joined the United Nations in September 1984. He is also a member of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the Commonwealth of Nations . A meeting of APEC economic leaders was held in Brunei in November 2000. In 2005, his delegation participated in the inaugural East Asian Summit.
Brunei has numerous diplomatic missions abroad and has close relations with Singapore, a special currency regime, as well as close military relations with the island state. In addition to relations with other ASEAN countries, Brunei also has wide connections with the Islamic and Arab world.
Content
Brunei Foreign Ministry
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was formally established after independence (January 1, 1984 from the UK). The first Minister of Foreign Affairs was appointed Prince Mohamed Bolkiah.
However, the process of creating the Ministry began in early 1979 with the creation of the Department of the Diplomatic Service (Diplomatic Service Department). Then Brunei had three missions abroad, namely in Kuala Lumpur, London and Singapore. All these missions were given the status of representative office of the High Commissioner (embassy, diplomatic mission of one country of the Commonwealth) in 1984. On August 1, 2005, the Department of International Relations and the Department of Trade and Resources were merged into the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Brunei has its missions in almost all regions of the world [1] .
Foreign Policy Course
The foreign policy course proceeds from the principles of the proclaimed Declaration of Independence (January 1, 1984) and is determined by the head of state. The main ones are: maintaining friendly relations with other countries and respect for their independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity; non-interference in the internal affairs of other states; maintaining peace and security in Southeast Asia. The goal of Brunei foreign policy is to strengthen cooperation with neighboring countries, but not only with ASEAN member countries, but also with countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
Cooperation with other states and international organizations
In 2005, the first cooperation agreement was signed in New Zealand between Brunei, New Zealand, Singapore and Chile. Under this agreement, trade barriers will be eliminated by 2015. Thanks to such political steps, the authority of this state is growing. And the main role in this is Hassanal Bolkiah. In international affairs, he seeks to solve problems through negotiations and cooperation.
In international organizations, Brunei is active. So, in 2000, an APEC summit was held in Brunei. In 2004 and 2005 Sultan of Brunei participated in the work of APEC, ASEAN, the 12th APEC Economic Summit in Chile. The sultan also participated in a meeting of ASEAN members in Laos, where agreements on cooperation and partnership with the countries of North and South Asia were adopted. The development of bilateral cooperation is helped by frequent visits by the Sultan of different countries of the world. In 2005, visits were made to Singapore and Australia. During the visits, cooperation in the fields of politics, economics and security was discussed.
In addition to the sultan, other family members participate in the international life of the state. So, in 2004, at the meeting of ASEAN Foreign Ministers in Indonesia, the princess on behalf of her state signed the Declaration on the Eradication of the Humiliation of Women in ASEAN Member Countries.
Brunei also hosts various events related to cooperation in the development of agriculture, small and medium-sized businesses in the region.
In the summer of 2013, the annual meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers was held in Brunei, during which the fundamental principles of the organization were confirmed - the development of the region in all areas.
Relations with Russia
Diplomatic relations between Russia and Brunei were established on October 1, 1991, but bilateral cooperation was formal. The interaction took place mainly through meetings at international forums.
The first meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah took place in November 2000 as part of the APEC summit in Brunei.
H. Bolkiah’s first official visit to Russia in June 2005 was a new stage in Russian-Brunei relations. During the visit, the mutual interest in cooperation in such areas as anti-terrorism, military-technical cooperation, energy, investment, education was confirmed.
Trade and economic relations between the countries are unstable, since the volume of mutual trade is insignificant.
Notes
- ↑ Diplomatic Mission Archived March 13, 2014 on Wayback Machine