BUSAN, KOREA: His Majesty the Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and the Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam yesterday consented to attend the First and Second Sessions of the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit held at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center (BEXCO), ©BRUDIRECT.COM reported.
Upon arrival at the Lobby of the Convention Center, His Majesty was greeted by the Secretary General of the Preparatory Office for the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit 2014, His Excellency Choi Jong-moon.
His Majesty then consented to proceed to the upper level of the Convention Center where His Majesty was greeted by the President of the Republic of Korea, Her Excellency Park Geun-hye.
His Majesty then consented to join other Heads of State and Government attending the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit for a group photo session.
His Majesty first consented to attend the First Session of the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit. The First Session of the Summit convened with the opening statement from the President of the Republic of Korea as the Chairperson for the First Session of the Summit. In her speech, Her Excellency welcomed the Heads of State and Government of ASEAN attending the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit.
During the First Session of the Commemorative Summit, His Majesty consented to deliver a Titah where His Majesty began by thanking Her Excellency, the Government and the people of the Republic of Korea for the warm welcome and hospitality accorded to him and his delegation since arriving in Busan.
His Majesty then offered his condolences to the Republic of Korea, Indonesia and Philippines on the sinking of Korea Fishing Boat near the Russian waters; and to the people of Republic of Philippines on the devastation brought by the Typhoon Hagupit.
His Majesty in his titah stated that this year has been especially meaningful to Brunei Darussalam as it simultaneously celebrates the 25th anniversary of the ASEAN-Republic of Korea partnership and the 30th year of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Brunei Darussalam and the Republic of Korea.
His Majesty added that he is pleased with the longstanding bilateral ties that have now expanded to cover many areas including energy, trade, ICT as well as people-to-people exchanges. This cooperation is further supported at the regional level through the ASEAN-Republic of Korea and ASEAN Plus Three frameworks.
At the same time, His Majesty is also encouraged with the good progress in implementing the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Joint Declaration and hoped the officials will enhance their efforts to ensure its full implementation.
His Majesty then extended his appreciation for the continued support from all of ASEAN’s dialogue partners, including Republic of Korea, which has helped realise its Community goals.
His Majesty hoped that this partnership will continue to deepen and strengthen as ASEAN looks beyond 2015. In this regard, His Majesty is pleased with the Joint Statement to be adopted by the meeting which will help guide the future direction of the relations, particularly in terms of strengthening the region’s current collaboration in the area of youth and ICT.
His Majesty further stated that at the heart of its cooperation is the warm relationship shared by the people of ASEAN and Republic of Korea including the youths. The trust and confidence that the youths have in one another is key to ensuring the sustainability of the future work together.
Therefore, ASEAN and Republic of Korea should continue its commitment to nurture these relationships through the various exchange programmes.
His Majesty would therefore like to see the continuation of activities such as the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Youth Exchange Programmes, which would help the region to further promote greater understanding and mutual respect amongst its peoples.
His Majesty also noted that the Republic of Korea has established itself as a leader in the field of ICT. In the last four years, the Republic of Korea has been rated as the top country in the I-C-T Development Index. This is indeed a remarkable achievement, which indicates the deep integration of ICT in the Republic of Korea’s society, and demonstrates how readily accessible the Internet is to the public, particularly through extensive usage of mobile communication.
ICT is fast becoming the foundation for many commercial activities, and developing further knowledge and expertise in this field has the potential to bring much economic benefit to the future of the region.
Thus, His Majesty encouraged officials to continue their work under the ASEAN-Republic of Korea ICT Partnership Project, to develop innovative and practical ways to utilise ICT to enhance the lives of the people.
In ending his Titah, His Majesty stated that it is clear that ASEAN-Republic of Korea relations are poised to deepen and further strengthen, bringing much benefit to the people and the region.
His Majesty then extended his appreciation to Her Excellency the President of Republic of Korea for bringing together ASEAN at the said meeting as well as to His Excellency the President of Indonesia for Indonesia’s excel
During the first session, leaders discussed matters closely related to the theme of the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit this year, ‘Building Trust, Bringing Happiness’ of which the main agenda include issues on the realization of the ASEAN Community by 2015 as well as the strategic direction for ASEAN Community post-2015 with the cooperation and support of the Republic of Korea as ASEAN’s strategic partner.
Leaders also discussed matters related to interconnectivity between ASEAN and Republic of Korea while discussing matters that can enhance cooperation in the field of infrastructure development and technology.