SPEECH
BY SHRI K R NARAYANAN, PRESIDENT OF INDIA, WHILE ACCEPTING THE CREDENTIALS
FROM MR. DATO PADUKA HAJI ABD MOKIT BIN HAJI MOHD. DAUD,
HIGH COMMISSIONER-DESIGNATE OF BRUNEI DARUSSALAM TO INDIA
NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 16, 1997
Excellency,
I am very pleased
to receive from His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di Pertuan, the Letter
of Credence accrediting you as the High Commissioner of Brunei Darussalam
to India, as well as the Letter of Recall of your predecessor. Please
convey to His Majesty that I fully reciprocate the kind sentiments expressed
by him, and would like to extend to him my most cordial regards and best
wishes for his personal health and well-being, as well as for the continued
prosperity and welfare of the people of Brunei Darussalam. I would also
like to extend to you a warm welcome to India.
Relations between
our two countries go back in history when there were contacts, particularly
in the fields of trade and commerce and cultural exchanges. These contacts
have left their indelible imprint and have created lasting affinities.
I am happy to learn that over the past few years, our relations have gathered
momentum. Your country's support for India's Full Dialogue Partner status
with ASEAN and participation in the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) is deeply
appreciated. This interaction adds yet another dimension to our friendly
relations.
Our bilateral relations
today are marked by commonality of interest and the absence of any outstanding
issues. Given the excellent rapport at the political level, both our countries
need to identify areas of cooperation and move ahead in a purposeful manner
to tap the immense potential for mutually beneficial growth in our relations,
particularly in the areas of trade and investment. We would welcome investment
from Brunei Darussalam into India. Also, the dynamic private sectors of
both countries could take part in profitable third country joint ventures
using Indian technical expertise and capital from Brunei Darussalam.
I have noted with
satisfaction your Excellency's words of appreciation regarding the contribution
by Indian nationals towards your country's development. In the spirit
of South-South cooperation, we are happy to cooperate in the field of
human resource development. India would be prepared to share its expertise
in such critical areas of science and technology as space sciences, satellite
telecommunications, biotechnology etc. The Government of India is highly
appreciative of the facility provided by the Government of Brunei Darussalam
for the setting up a Telemetry Tracking Station (TTS) in Brunei.
Excellency, India
and Brunei Darussalam have maintained structured interaction at the level
of their Ministries of Foreign Affairs. I understand that such meetings
are taking place at regular intervals. We are committed to expanding and
continuing this process.
Excellency, we are
confident that your wide ranging experience and skills as a diplomat will
help you to contribute towards furthering our bilateral relations. In
this task, I would like to assure you of the fullest cooperation and assistance
of my Government. I wish you a successful and pleasant term of duty in
India.
Thank you
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