PM Modi to Make First Bilateral Visit to Brunei on September 3-4

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Brunei next week, as announced by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) today. The bilateral visit will take place on September 3-4, at the invitation of His Majesty Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. This marked the first ever bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Brunei, coinciding with the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal made the announcement, further stating that after Brunei, PM Modi will also visit Singapore on September 4-5. This visit to Brunei comes almost a decade after his initial meeting with Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah in November 2014, on the sidelines of the 25th ASEAN Summit in Myanmar. They also met during the 2017 East Asia Summit in the Philippines, and collaborated to launch a logo in celebration of the 40-year diplomatic milestone.

The MEA highlighted Brunei’s significant role in fostering closer ties between India and ASEAN, serving as the Country Coordinator for India from 2012 to 2015. Moreover, Brunei has been supportive of India’s ‘Look East Policy’ and ‘Act East Policy’ to strengthen ties with ASEAN. Additionally, India and Brunei have strong commercial ties, with total bilateral trade reaching $522.7 million in 2021, $382.8 million in 2022, and $195.2 million in 2023.