Vietnam and Brunei have agreed to further broaden and intensify their relations in the future to benefit the two peoples.

Both President Truong Tan Sang and Brunei’s Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah made the assertion at talks following the welcome ceremony for the Vietnamese state leader on November 27.

The two sides will maintain high-ranking exchanges and meetings and strengthen people-to-people exchanges to increase mutual understanding and trust.

At the talks, the two leaders expressed their pleasure at the two countries’ developing bilateral relations as well as their support for each other at regional and international forums.

They agreed to promptly organise the first bilateral cooperation committee meeting to propose measures to strengthen cooperation in specific fields, especially in economics, trade and investment.

According to statistics, two-way trade reached approximately 500 million USD in the first nine months of this year.

With 129 projects worth 4.9 billion USD, Brunei now ranks 12th of 92 countries and territories investing in Vietnam.

The two leaders spoke highly of defence cooperation and agreed to consider the establishment of a hotline between their naval forces as well as the signing of a cooperation agreement on crime prevention.

Vietnam and Brunei will promote cooperation in potential areas, including agro-fishery, oil and gas, labour, tourism, education and transport.

The two leaders agreed to assign relevant ministries and branches to negotiate and sign at an early date various cooperation agreements, including the Investment Encouragement and Protection Agreement, MoUs on Fisheries, and Labour and Maritime Transport Agreement.

The leaders said Vietnam and Brunei will continue to collaborate and support each other at regional and international forums, especially ASEAN and the UN, and work with other ASEAN members to build an ASEAN Community by 2015.

President Sang affirmed that Vietnam will wholeheartedly back Brunei in its role of the Chair of ASEAN and AIPA in 2013.

Brunei’s Sultan stated that his country will support Vietnam’s hosting of the APEC Summit in 2017 and further cooperate with Vietnam within the framework of the Trans Asia-Pacific Economic Partnership Agreement (TPP).

The two leaders agreed that ensuring peace and stability in the region, maritime freedom, safety and security in the East Sea, and the settlement of disputes through peaceful means in accordance with international law, in particular the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, are essential.

They welcomed ASEAN’s Six-Point Principles on the East Sea and the ASEAN-China Joint Statement on the 10th Anniversary of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC).

Both sides stressed the necessity to fully observe DOC and work towards the signing of a Code of Conduct (COC).

After the talks, President Sang and Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah witnessed the signing of banking and petroleum cooperative documents.