Act East policy: Vice-President Ansari to tour Brunei in Feb

Vice-President M. Hamid Ansari will pay an official visit to Brunei Darussalam from 1-3 February at the invitation of HRH Crown Prince Mohamed Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam.

This will be the first high level visit from India since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1984.

Vice President will be accompanied by a Minister of State, four Members of Parliament, senior officials and media.

India and Brunei have always enjoyed close friendly and cordial relations which are marked by mutual respect and understanding on various bilateral and multilateral issues. Both countries are linked by history, culture and traditions spanning a millennium. Exchange of regular visits have added to the momentum of the relations. There is a lot of goodwill and respect for Indian professionals, particularly teachers and doctors in Brunei.

Brunei is an important partner for India in ASEAN and besides contributing to our energy security, hosts a 10,000-strong Indian community

HRH, the Crown Prince will host the Vice President during his visit to Brunei. VP will have an audience with His Majesty, the Sultan of Brunei; and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade and H.E. the Speaker of the Legislative Council will call on the Vice President.

Vice President Ansari will also address the Indian Community at a reception and deliver an address at the University of Brunei Darussalam (UBD).

In his meetings with the Brunei leaders, Vice President Ansari will discuss bilateral issues/cooperation pertaining to civil aviation, trade and investment, hydrocarbon and natural gas, information and communication and space cooperation, cooperation in ASEAN, EAS and other multilateral fora.

MOUs in the field of Health and Defence co-operation are likely to be signed during the visit.