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International Affairs
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

Jai Hind
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