HM Sultan Brunei holds meeting with British PM

His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam (L) and British Prime Minister David Cameron at the Chequers Court in Buckinghamshire. They discussed ways to further strengthen bilateral cooperation, and exchanged views on regional and international matters of interest. Infofoto

His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam (L) and British Prime Minister David Cameron signing the ‘Exchange of Letter and Note’ on the stationing of the Battalion of British Brigade of Gurkha and Amendment to the Exchange of Notes Dated 22 September 1983 concerning the arrangement for the United Kingdom Force in Brunei Darussalam. Infofoto

His Majesty (R) and Cameron at the Chequers Court in Buckinghamshire. Infofoto

The monarch (2nd L) during a meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron (2nd R) at the Chequers Court in Buckinghamshire. Brunei’s Prime Minister’s Office said His Majesty and the British premier discussed ways to further strengthen existing bilateral cooperation, and exchanged views on regional and international matters of interest. Infofoto

His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam (L), and British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon at the Kensington Palace Gardens, London. His Majesty and Fallon exchanged views on ways to further develop existing bilateral cooperation and discussed current developments in international and regional affairs. Infofoto

Accompanying His Majesty were senior Brunei government officials. Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade II;

Minister of Finance II at the Prime Minister's Office, Minister of Energy at the Prime Minister's Office; and

Deputy Minister of Defence

 

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Tuesday, February 17, 2015

HIS Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, yesterday held a meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron at the Chequers Court in Buckinghamshire.

Brunei’s Prime Minister’s Office said His Majesty and the British premier discussed ways to further strengthen existing bilateral cooperation, and exchanged views on regional and international matters of interest.

After the meeting, the monarch signed the “Exchange of Letter and Note between His Majesty’s Government and the British Government on the stationing of the Battalion of British Brigade of Gurkha and Amendment to the Exchange of Notes Dated 22 September 1983 concerning the arrangement for the United Kingdom Force in Brunei Darussalam”.

Cameron signed the exchange of letter and note on behalf of the British government.

His Majesty also signed the guestbook before leaving Chequers Court, which is the country house retreat of the British premier.

Accompanying His Majesty were Second Minister of Finance at the Prime Minister’s Office Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Setia Dato Seri Setia Hj Abd Rahman Hj Ibrahim and Second Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Dewa Dato Seri Setia Lim Jock Seng.

Also present were Minister of Energy at the Prime Minister’s Office Yang Berhormat Pehin Datu Singamanteri Col (Rtd) Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Hj Mohd Yasmin Hj Umar, Deputy Defence Minister Dato Paduka Hj Mustappa Hj Sirat, and Brunei Darussalam High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Hj Aminuddin Ihsan Pehin Orang Kaya Saiful Mulok Dato Seri Paduka Haji Abidin.

Earlier, His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam met British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon at the Kensington Palace Gardens, London.

The monarch and Fallon exchanged views on ways to further develop existing bilateral cooperation and discussed current developments in international and regional affairs.

Courtesy of The Brunei Times

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Cameron in deal to extend British troops' stay in Brunei
The stationing of UK troops in Brunei also allows them to undertake extreme environment training.

By Agency
11:05PM GMT 16 Feb 2015

Britain will continue to station troops in Brunei for a further five years to help maintain the armed forces' permanent presence in South Asia, Downing Street has said.
Prime Minister David Cameron renewed the long-standing agreement during a meeting with the Sultan of Brunei at Chequers.

The stationing of UK troops in Brunei also allows them to undertake extreme environment training.

Following the meeting this morning, a No 10 spokeswoman said: "The Prime Minister welcomed His Majesty the Sultan of Brunei to Chequers this morning. They agreed to renew a long-standing agreement to station UK troops at a garrison in Brunei for a further five years.

"The PM noted that the garrison enables the UK to provide a permanent presence in South Asia while also providing an opportunity for British forces to undertake extreme environment training."

The UK has had a contingent of Gurkhas in Brunei since 1962 and there are currently around 2,000 personnel based in the country.

Following Bruneian independence in 1984, Britain agreed to continue to station an infantry battalion in the Sultanate, a deal which is renewed every five years.

The garrison includes a resident infantry battalion - currently the First Battalion, Royal Gurkha Rifles, Training Team Brunei, which provides training to members of the British Armed Forces, and a small number of British loan service personnel who serve with the Bruneian Armed Forces.

Mr Cameron also discussed action against Islamist extremists with the Sultan of Brunei during the talks.

"It is absolutely clear that what we need to be doing around the world is working with other countries to tackle this growing threat from Islamist extremists and their poisonous ideology wherever we find it," said the spokeswoman.

Asked whether the weekend's events made Mr Cameron regret his decision to commit UK military forces in Libya in 2011, the Number 10 spokeswoman said: "This was a country where people were being oppressed by a dictator, where they were not able to pursue their aspirations and have their voice heard for a democratic and peaceful Libya.

"The actions we took there and the decision to intervene was an international one."

Libya is currently engulfed by political uncertainty and violent power struggles, with the unrest seen as the worst since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

Sir Richard Dalton, a former British ambassador to the country, said IS has established a presence in the country following the "disappearance of legitimate authority".

However, he stressed the scale of IS's influence appears to be "limited" and played down the possibility of the militant group building a power base similar to those it established in Syria and Iraq.

Bishop Angaelos, general bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the UK, condemned the brutality as "plunging the world back into a medieval time".

The Archbishop of Canterbury called the beheading of Christian hostages in Libya by Islamic State (IS, or Isis), shootings in Denmark and a suicide bombing in Nigeria "terrible cruelty".

The Daily Telegraph