Türkiye, Brunei affirm resolve to further cooperation

By Merve Aydogan

ANKARA (AA) – Türkiye and Brunei Darussalam on Tuesday reaffirmed their resolve to improve cooperation in various areas.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Brunei's visiting Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah addressed a joint news conference in the capital Ankara after the leaders held a one-on-one meeting and talks with their delegations in the presidential complex.

Erdogan said they discussed with Bolkiah bilateral relations comprehensively during their meeting.

"We affirmed our agreement to develop bilateral cooperation. We exchanged views about areas of investment which will expand our economic and trade relations," the Turkish leader said.

He also stressed that they discussed the potential between Türkiye and the Southeast Asian country for cooperation in areas such as defense industry, energy, tourism, healthcare, Islamic finance, and halal production.

Aside from bilateral matters, Erdogan and Bolkiah also addressed latest global developments and issues related to Palestine, Rohingya Muslims and Islamophobia.

Erdogan said they also underlined the importance of increasing cooperation in regional and international platforms such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

For his part, Sultan Bolkiah conveyed his "deepest condolences" to Türkiye and its people over the devastating earthquakes that jolted the country's southern region on Feb. 6.

"I'm confident that with the government's effort and the resilience of the Turkish people, Türkiye will persevere and emerge stronger from this tragedy," he said.

The bilateral ties between Türkiye and Brunei "have developed tremendously" since 2012, Bolkiah said, adding that Brunei intends to strengthen cooperation in the field of education, defense, trade, and economy while encouraging more people-to-people exchanges.