President Rodrigo Duterte reaffirmed his commitment to further broaden and deepen bilateral cooperation with Brunei Darussalam as he returned Saturday from an official visit to the tiny, oil-rich kingdom.
In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said Duterte, who joined other world leaders for the golden jubilee celebration of the accession to the throne of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, reaffirmed the long and enduring ties between the Philippines and Brunei Darussalam and renewed the special friendship between the two countries.
The President has described His Majesty the Sultan “as a friend of the Philippines in the truest and most profound sense of the word,” Abella said in a statement.
Duterte likewise recognizes His Majesty the Sultan's principled commitment “to the pursuit of just and lasting peace and development in Mindanao, the well-being of Filipinos in Brunei Darussalam, and his unequalled efforts to bring the two countries closer to each other.”
“The President looks forward to further broaden and deepen bilateral cooperation with Brunei Darussalam, as well as to advancing efforts toward a more peaceful, prosperous and progressive Asean,” Abella added.
Other key leaders from within and outside of the region joined the celebration at Brunei’s capital of Bandar Seri Begawan, including Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen, Indonesia's President Joko Widodo, and Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak.
“The celebrations were a fitting tribute to a beloved Leader who made amity and cooperation a cornerstone of secure and stable relations between nations in Southeast Asia and beyond,” Abella said.
Duterte arrived in Davao at 1:47 a.m. Saturday, the Palace said.
This is also the first time that Duterte had left the country since the Marawi siege erupted last May.
The President first visited Brunei in October last year, where he and Bolkiah underscored the importance of further strengthening defense ties by countering terrorism, violent extremism, and piracy at high seas.
Bolkiah then visited Manila last April, where both leaders vowed to enhance security, economic and cultural ties.
Bolkiah, who was born in 1946, ascended to the throne as Sultan of Brunei on Oct. 5, 1967.