Bangladesh signs 6 MoUs with Brunei during Hasina’s visit

Bangladesh has signed six memoranda of understanding with Brunei and exchanged a diplomatic note during the bilateral meeting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah.

Reazul Bashar from Bruneibdnews24.com
Published : 22 April 2019, 06:52 AM
Updated : 22 April 2019, 09:15 AM

The signing of the MoUs is expected to pave the way for cooperation between the two countries.

The signed MoUs include bilateral cooperation in agriculture, art and culture, youth and sports, fisheries, livestock and energy.
Also, the diplomatic that has been exchanged will be waiving the visa requirements for diplomatic and official passport holders of both countries, said Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque.
 
Hasina reached Bandar Seri Begawan on Sunday for a three-day official visit to Brunei at the invitation of Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah.
Sultan Bolkiah and Crown Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah welcomed the prime minister as she reached the Cheradi Laila Kenchana at Istana Nurul Iman, the official residence of the Sultan of Brunei on Monday morning.
They have greeted Hasina going beyond the protocol, said the foreign secretary.

“Usually, the sultan and the crown prince stay inside the room and the visiting guests join them. But they went beyond the protocol by arriving in the corridor to receive her.”

Hasina had a bilateral meeting with the sultan following her courtesy visits to the members of the royal family.

Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzak and Brunei’s Primary Resources and Tourism Minister Ali bin Apong signed a deal on cooperation in agriculture.

Apong signed another MoU on fisheries and livestock with Ashraf Ali Khan Khasru, state minister for fisheries and livestock.

KM Khalid Babu, state minister for cultural affairs, signed a deal on cultural affairs and arts with Haji Aminuddin Ihsan, minister for cultural affairs, youth and sports.

State Minister for Youth and Sports Zahid Ahsan Russel and Aminuddin Ihsan signed a deal on cooperation in the youth and sports sector.

A contract on the LNG sector was signed by Bangladesh State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid and Brunei’s Power, Human Resources and Industries Minister Awang Haji Mat Suny.

A diplomatic note exchanged between the two countries will allow the diplomats and government officials to travel to both countries without visa.

The officials and diplomatic passport holders in Bangladesh and Brunei will be able to visit both countries without visa after three days, according to the foreign secretary.

Hasina, who is travelling to the country at the invitation of Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, was received at the airport by Crown Prince of Brunei Darussalam Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah.

On the first day of her visit, the prime minister joined a community reception to be hosted in her honour by expatriate Bangladeshis in Brunei at the Indera Samudera Ballroom of Empire Hotel and Country Club.

She also attended a dinner hosted by the high commissioner of Bangladesh to Brunei on the same day.

On Monday, the prime minister will join a meeting between the business communities of the two countries. She will also visit Jame Asr Mosque and offer the Asr prayers there.

On Tuesday morning, the prime minister will lay the foundation stone of the new Chancery Building of Bangladesh High Commission at the Diplomatic Enclave at Jalan Kebangsaan in the Brunei capital. Later, she will visit the Royal Regalia Museum.

Hasina will leave Brunei at 5pm local time on Apr 23 and arrive in Dhaka later in the day.