PM Lawrence Wong at the Official Lunch Hosted by His Majesty The Sultan of Brunei (Jun 2024)

Your Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah,
Your Majesty Raja lsteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha,
Your Royal Highnesses,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thank you, Your Majesty, for the kind remarks as well as your warm and gracious hospitality extended to me and my delegation. My wife and I are delighted to be back in Brunei.

I am starting on my introductory visits to ASEAN capitals and Brunei is my first stop. It reflects the special relationship that our two countries have shared across successive generations of leaders. It is a longstanding Singapore tradition to visit Brunei first. My predecessor, Mr Lee Hsien Loong, when he became Prime Minister in 2004, had done so and visited Brunei as his first introductory visit. President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and former President Halimah Yacob both made Brunei the first stop in their overseas State Visits as well. This reflects the importance that Singapore accords to our relationship with Brunei – our special and most trusted partner.

Our special relationship is defined by our shared strategic outlook as well as the close personal ties and the high level of trust between our leaders. As my team and I take over the leadership baton in Singapore, we will build on the strong foundations laid down by our predecessors, especially the late Seri Begawan and the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, and take our relations to even greater heights.

In this context, I want to convey my deepest appreciation to Your Majesty for your longstanding and wise stewardship of our partnership. Under your watch, our bilateral relationship has flourished. Our two countries have not just been building strong relations for today but also bridges for the future. Your Majesty has continually emphasised the importance of the Young Leaders’ Programme (YLP), which we launched in 2012, as a way for young leaders from both sides to build up their familiarity and friendship with one another. I was one of the younger Singapore office holders then who participated in the inaugural YLP in Brunei. That was about 10 years ago. In December last year, I was happy to lead the YLP to Brunei, and I look forward later this year to hosting His Royal Highness Crown Prince Billah and his family to Singapore for the 10th YLP.

As Your Majesty said just now, the two key pillars of our partnership are defence and finance. On finance, the Currency Interchangeability Agreement that was established 57 years ago continues to facilitate mutual investments, trade, and tourism, and remains a hallmark of our unique relationship. On defence, Brunei has been an invaluable partner. The jungles of Temburong have been an excellent, realistic training ground for generations of Singapore soldiers, including me and many in my delegation. This has contributed to the operational readiness of the Singapore Armed Forces, and we are continuing to do more to enhance the professionalism of our respective armed forces and build trust between them, including through regular joint exercises.

Beyond these two pillars, our two countries are firmly committed to expanding our bilateral cooperation in new areas. This includes sustainability issues like carbon markets, carbon capture and storage, and renewable energy, as well as urban planning, digital economy, food security, education, and public service capacity development. Such collaborations will ensure that our two countries are well-positioned for the future.

Underpinning all our collaboration are our investments in developing the people-to-people ties between government officials and our respective citizens. The inaugural batch of Bruneian officials seconded to Singapore government agencies under the Brunei-Singapore Work Placement Programme has just completed their stint last month, and we are already curating the next edition. Such exchanges not only ensure that our officials at various levels continue to exchange best practices and experiences, but also build up their personal links with each other. Beyond the government sector, I am glad we also have platforms to develop strong links, including through the Singapore-Brunei Youth Leaders Exchange Programme, as well as the Brunei-Singapore Youth Education Scholarship.

As we mark the 40th anniversary of our diplomatic ties this year, it is timely for us to take stock of what we have achieved together and chart our way forward together. Brunei and Singapore have stood by one another through the seasons. We are two small countries navigating an increasingly dangerous and turbulent world. So we are natural partners across multiple domains, both bilaterally as well as in ASEAN. As Prime Minister, I will pay personal attention to ensuring that our friendship continues to flourish and bear fruits for our two peoples.

In closing, I would like to once again express my gratitude for Your Majesty’s contributions towards this special relationship. May our excellent partnership continue to keep our two nations peaceful and prosperous, and may this partnership endure for generations to come.