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17 August 2017 09:33

On the activities dedicated to the 50th anniversary of ASEAN

On 12-13 August 2017 the Embassy of Russia in Brunei took part in the activities organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Negara Brunei Darussalam on the occasion of the 50^th anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Photo exhibition dedicated to the Russia-ASEAN Commemorative Summit, which was held in Sochi in May 2016, was displayed at the International Convention Centre in Bandar Seri Begawan. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Dato Seri Paduka Haji Erywan bin Pehin Yusof, high-level governmental officials, representatives of diplomatic corps and public visited the exhibition.

The programme of the jubilee events also included the presentation by the senior lecturer of MGIMO-University Mr. Igor Istomin about opportunities of receiving higher education in Russia, which was widely welcomed by the Bruneian students.

Interest of the public was generated by the video-demonstrations about the cities of Russia – Moscow, St.Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan, Grozny organized by the staff of the Embassy, as well as presentations about their main attractions.

At the Culinary Fair dedicated to the ASEAN jubilee Russia was represented by a colourful table with traditional Russian pastry.

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Bilateral relations

RUSSIA-BRUNEI RELATIONS

Russia and Brunei established diplomatic relations on October 1, 1991. In 1998, Brunei opened an Embassy in Moscow, and the Russian Embassy started working in Brunei in February 2010.

Both countries maintain traditionally friendly ties. Regular dialogue at the heads of state level remains a solid foundation. This dialogue was launched in a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah on the sidelines of the 2000 APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Bandar Seri Begawan.

In June 2005, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah paid a state visit to Russia. In October 2009, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah paid an official visit to this country. State leaders meet annually on the sidelines of APEC economic leaders’ meetings. In September 2013, at the invitation of the Russian party the leader of Brunei attended a G20 summit in St Petersburg as ASEAN Chairman. In May 2016, he attended the Russia-ASEAN summit in Sochi, with top-level Russia-Brunei talks taking place during the event.

In October 2016, Abdul Rahman Mohamed Taib, Speaker of the Legislative Council of Brunei paid an official visit to Russia, the first such visit in the history of bilateral relations. His visit laid the foundation for advancing inter-parliamentary ties.

In August 2017, a delegation of the Royal Brunei Police Force headed by Commissioner Jammy Al Islam visited Moscow at the invitation of Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev.

The foreign ministries of Russia and Brunei cooperate closely. In January 2012, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made an official visit to Brunei. In July 2013, Mr Lavrov attended the 20th session of the ASEAN Regional Forum in Brunei and a meeting of foreign ministers of the East Asia Summit countries. In October, he attended the 8th East Asia Summit. In July 2016 and August 2017, Mr Lavrov and Brunei’s Second Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Lim Jock Seng held talks in Vientiane and Manila, respectively, on the sidelines of ASEAN ministerial events.

In April 2014, a Brunei delegation headed by Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Erywan Yusof attended the second round of consultations on the creation of an Asia Pacific Region security system in Moscow that also hosted bilateral consultations at the deputy foreign minister level. In April 2016, Moscow hosted regular political consultations between foreign ministries.

Bilateral economic cooperation, spurred by a delegation of Russian business people during its August 2015 visit to Brunei, continues to expand. During that visit, the sides signed a number of agreements between national companies in logistics and information technology, as well as a letter of intent on establishing the Russia-Brunei Business Council. The sides reached a consensus that a memorandum on establishing this council would be signed during a reciprocal visit by a delegation of Brunei business people to Russia.

On April 19-21, 2016, Russian Deputy Minister of Economic Development Alexey Vedev headed a delegation of Russian business circles to Bandar Seri Begawan. He was received by the second top state official, Al-Muhtadee Billah, Senior Minister of the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabinet_of_Brunei" title="Cabinet of Brunei">Prime Minister's Office of Brunei, Second Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Lim Jock Seng, Second Minister of Finance Abdul Rahman Ibrahim, Minister of Energy and Industry Yasmin Umar, Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism Ali Apong and Minister of Development Bahrin Abdullah.

In 2017, Russian business people visited Brunei four times and discussed cooperation prospects in agriculture, energy, the services sector, tourism, and information and communications technologies. In August 2017, the Odintsovo Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the National Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Brunei Darussalam signed an agreement on joint activity. This was made possible by the above business missions. Both sides are studying opportunities for implementing joint projects after a delegation of Russian IT and information security businesses visited Brunei.

Direct contact between national business circles helped boost bilateral trade that reached $92 million in 2016. First, this was partly due to Brunei oil sales to Russia’s LUKOIL. In 2014 and 2015, Russia-Brunei trade totaled $31,000 and $25 million, respectively.

Both sides prioritise expanded military cooperation. In May 2016, a unit of the Russian Pacific Fleet anchored at Brunei’s Muara port to take part in the ADMM Plus (ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus) Exercise on Maritime Security and Counter Terrorism. In October 2017, a unit of the Russian Pacific Fleet consisting of anti-submarine warfare (ASW) ships Admiral Panteleyev and Admiral Vinogradov, as well as the tanker Boris Butoma, paid their first visit to Brunei under a bilateral cooperation programme. In 2017, Brunei’s Deputy Defence Minister Abdul Aziz Tamit visited Moscow and attended a conference on international security. He also held talks with Russian Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin.

Russia and Brunei continue to expand cultural ties. On May 19, 2016, a Brunei delegation headed by Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Halbi Mohd Yussof attended a meeting of ministers of culture from Russia and ASEAN member states in Sochi, as well as the First Russia-ASEAN Culture Festival (May 18-20).

In October-November 2016, the Bandar Seri Begawan Art Gallery hosted the “Russia: Beauty in Diversity” photography and applied art exhibit on memorable events in the history of Russia-Brunei relations, Russia’s architectural and natural landmarks, applied art, traditional ethnic clothing, Russian mosques and celebrations of the 55th anniversary of Soviet Cosmonaut Yury Gagarin’s trailblazing space flight. The exhibition was part of events marking the 25th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries.

In September 2016, a Brunei delegation headed by Azman bin Ahmad, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Brunei Ministry of Education, attended the first Russia-ASEAN University Forum in Vladivostok.

On March 30-April 2, 2017, a delegation of the TASS News Agency headed by the Agency’s First Deputy Director General Mikhail Gusman visited Brunei. Its members prepared a special edition of the television show “Formula of Power,” timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah’s rule.

In April 2017, St Petersburg State University and the University of Brunei signed a memorandum of understanding and an agreement on student exchanges.

In July 2017, a delegation of Brunei’s Sultan Sharif Ali Islamic University headed by Rector Norarfan Zainal visited Russia at the invitation of Ravil Gainutdin, Chairman of the Russian Council of Muftis and the Central Muslim Spiritual Board of Russia. During the visit, members of the delegation of Brunei’s Sultan Sharif Ali Islamic University and the Russian Council of Muftis signed a memorandum of understanding. Delegation members also signed memorandums with the Russian Islamic University in Kazan, the Russian Islamic Institute, the Council for Islamic Education and the Moscow International Higher Business School.

In September 2017, the first citizen of Brunei was sent to study in Russia under a state scholarship. After passing entrance exams, he enrolled in an MA course at the National Research University Higher School of Economics.

The legal framework of Russia-Brunei relations includes the 1998 air traffic agreement, the 2000 protocol on consultations between foreign ministries, the 2009 agreement on short-duration visa-free trips for holders of diplomatic and service passports, the 2009 memorandum of understanding on economic cooperation between the Russian Ministry of Economic Development and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Brunei,, the 2016 memorandum of understanding between the Russian Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports of Brunei, the 2016 memorandum of understanding on military-technical cooperation and the 2017 memorandum on military cooperation.

Brunei Darussalam

THE STATE OF BRUNEI DARUSSALAM

General information: Brunei (the official name Negara Brunei Darussalam is translated from Malay as 'The Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace') is situated in the northern part of the island of in Southeast Asia. It shares a border with the Malaysian state of Sarawak and is washed by the South China Sea in the north.

Area: 5,800 square kilometres, 70 percent of which is covered by rainforest.

Population: 436,600, including Malays (65.8 percent), Chinese (10.2 percent), indigenous tribes of Kalimantan (Iban, Melanau, Dayaks and others --8 percent). Urban population accounts for 77.2 percent.

Official language: Malay; English and Chinese are widely used too.

Official religion: The Sunni branch of Islam. Sunni Muslims account for 74 percent of the population. Other religions: Buddhism (11 percent), Christianity (Catholics) 9 percent.

Capital: Bandar Seri Begawan (over 241,000).

National holiday: Independence Day, February 23, 1984.

Political system: Absolute monarchy. Head of state ,Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah (since 1967), who also serves as Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, Minister of Defence and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The Sultan is the spiritual leader of the country's Muslims. Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Sultan's eldest son, is the Senior Minister at the Prime Minister's Office.

Brunei's executive bodies include the Privy Council (deals with matters concerning clemency, amendments to the Constitution as well as awards, titles and honours) and the Council of Succession.

Highest legislative body: The Legislative Council (parliament), a deliberative body with advisory functions under the head of state. In 2004, the Sultan of Brunei signed an amendment to the Constitution on the creation of an elected parliament. The Legislative Council consists of 33 members (including the head of state). These are cabinet ministers, senior state officials, clerics and businessmen appointed by the Sultan and nine directly-elected representatives from administrative areas (the new composition of the Legislation Council was approved by the Sultan's executive order on January 13, 2017). Speaker of the Legislative Council, Abdul Rahman bin Mohamed Taib (since February 2015).

The Legislative Council holds annual sessions (March) to swear new members of parliament into office, hear reports by ministries and departments, approve the state budget for the next fiscal year.

Highest judicial body: The Supreme Court. In addition, there are Muslim Shariah courts that normally deal with matters related to family law. In May 2014, the Shariah courts received greater authority under the law On the Shariah Courts Criminal Procedure Code signed in 2013.

Economy: Brunei's economy is characterised by a high degree of macro-economic stability: GDP per capita – $30,000 (2016)[1], no inflation.

Unemployment stands at 6.9 percent. The country lacks labour resources and hires around 100,000 contract workers, predominantly from Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, India and Thailand.

The oil-and-gas industry is the backbone of Brunei's economy. It accounts for over 60 percent of GDP and 90 percent of state revenues. Key oil extraction partners in the form of joint ventures are the Anglo-Dutch Royal Dutch-Shell and French Total. Some projects involve the Malaysian Petronas and the US ConocoPhillips. There is a gas liquefying plant (a joint venture with Shell and Mitsubishi).

The government's economic priorities are to diversify and modernise the economy, increase food self-sufficiency, attract more foreign investment, boost retail trade, develop the construction industry, transportation and tourism.

Agriculture is poorly developed, 80 percent of basic food products are imported.

External trade: In 2016 it stood at $9.2 billion. Top trade partners are Japan (39 percent), South Korea (12.5 percent), Australia (9.7 percent), India (9.2 percent), Thailand (6.4 percent) and Indonesia (5.8 percent). Key imports include machinery, food and chemicals. The chief sources of commodity imports are from ASEAN countries (51.8 percent), the United States (14.2 percent) and the European Union (9.1 percent).

Brunei's gold and currency reserves are estimated at $35 billion. The country has no external debt.

Currency: Brunei dollar (BND) is at par with and circulates in parallel with the Singapore dollar. $1 equals 1.43 BND, 1 EUR equals 1.55 BND (March 2017).

Domestic policy: The internal political situation in Brunei is characterised by stability. The government has the support of the overwhelming majority of the population. The Sultan wields indisputable authority.

The government pays much attention to the social well-being of the population, encouraging charity and providing considerable funds for direct aid to the needy[2]. There is no income tax in Brunei. Medical services in state-run healthcare institutions are free for Brunei citizens. There are social housing construction programmes.

Given the traditional Islamic values and the introduction of Shariah Criminal Law in May 2014, there are numerous bans and restrictions in Brunei.

Foreign policy: Brunei stands for maintaining friendly relations with other countries on the principles of mutual respect for independence, sovereignty, equality and territorial integrity. It adheres to the principles of non-interference in the internal affairs of other states and promoting peace, security and stability in the region. Brunei is a member of the United Nations, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the British Commonwealth, the World Trade Organisation, the Non-Aligned Movement and the Asia Cooperation Dialogue and takes part in Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forums, East Asia summits, the Asia-Europe Meeting, the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Brunei maintains diplomatic relations with more than 170 states and has 43 diplomatic missions abroad (in all ASEAN member states, the largest Arab states, Russia, the United States, Canada, China, Britain, France, Germany). There are 29 foreign embassies in Bandar Seri Begawan.

Armed forces: Brunei' army was created on May 31, 1961, and consists of three branches, the Royal Land Forces, the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy. The army was renamed, the Royal Brunei Armed Forces, in 1984 after the Sultanate obtained independence. In total, the armed forces comprise around 9,500 servicemen. The defence budget for 2017/2018 is $451.7 million, around 10 percent of GDP.

Troop contingents of the UK and Singapore are deployed in Brunei on a permanent basis. Brunei's servicemen are taking part in international peacekeeping missions in Lebanon and the Philippines.

Culture: Cultural life is regulated by Islamic ideology. Music shows, performances, concerts are rarely held and usually coincide with important dates or events. Two months ahead of Ramadan (the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, during which fasting is observed from sunrise to sunset) and until its end, all entertainments cease.

Education: The adult literacy rate is 97.65 percent. The education system stipulates compulsory free nine-year education. There are state-run and private schools (261 in total). All schools have a uniform curricular with integrated Islamic education. Teaching is in Malay and English.

Education in state-funded schools is free for Brunei citizens. The government encourages its citizens to receive higher education abroad and offers grants for university studies in Britain, Australia, the United States and Canada.

Media: Official and private media are controlled by the state. The Radio Television Brunei (RTB) state-owned company and a separate department at the Prime Minister's Office ensures television and radio broadcasting nationwide.

Main newspapers are Pelita Brunei (the government's official Malay-language newspaper, issued three times a week, circulates 40,000 copies), Media Permata (Malay-language daily, circulates 10,000 copies), Borneo Bulletin (English-language daily, circulates 25,000 copies, Sunday edition – 30,000 copies).

[1] GDP stands at $13 billion (2015).

2Tne needy in Brunei are people with an income of less than $1,100 a month.