In A First, PM Modi To Go On Bilateral Visit To Brunei On September 3-4

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Brunei next week, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced today. PM Modi will be in Brunei on September 3-4 on a bilateral visit.

The visit, which is historical in more than one way, will be the first bilateral visit ever by an Indian prime minister to the country and also aligns with the 40th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral ties between India and Brunei. 

"PM Modi, at the invitation of His Majesty Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah is scheduled to visit Brunei during September 3-4. This will be the first ever bilateral visit by an Indian PM to Brunei. The visit coincides with 40th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic ties between India and Brunei. " MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal announced today. 

After Brunei, PM Modi will also visit Singapore on September 4-5. 

PM Modi's visit to Brunei comes almost 10 years after his first meeting with the Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah in November 2014 on the sidelines of 25th ASEAN Summit in Myanmar. They met again during the 2017 East Asia Summit held in the Philippines.

In July, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar met his Brunei counterpart in Laos on the sidelines of ASEAN meetings. To celebrate the 40 years of diplomatic relations, the two also launched a logo together. 

According to the MEA, Brunei played a key role in bringing India closer to ASEAN as Country Coordinator for India from 2012 till 2015. Brunei has also been supportive of India's 'Look East Policy' and 'Act East Policy' to strengthen ties with ASEAN.

India and Brunei also share strong commercial ties, with total bilateral trade between the two countries amounting to $522.7 million in 2021, $382.8 million in 2022, and $195.2 million in 2023.