HIS Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam last night consented to leave for Australia for a three-day State Visit.

Before leaving Istana Nurul Iman, a Doa Selamat was read by Pehin Datu Seri Maharaja Dato Paduka Seri Setia (Dr) Ustaz Haji Awang Abdul Aziz bin Juned, the State Mufti.

Present at His Majesty the Sultan’s Flight Hangar in Rimba to bid farewell to His Majesty were His Royal Highness Prince Mohamed Bolkiah, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade; His Royal Highness Prince Haji Jefri Bolkiah; and His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Malik; as well as other members of the royal family.

Also present at the hangar were Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Cheterias; Speaker of the State Legislative Council; Cabinet Ministers; Members of Council; Deputy Ministers; the Commander of Royal Brunei Armed Forces; the Commissioner of Police; and Mr Wes Knight, Charge d’Affaires of the Australian High Commission in Brunei Darussalam.

Accompanying His Majesty to Australia is Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Haji Awang Abu Bakar bin Haji Apong, Minister of Education.

His Majesty will meet Prime Minister Julia Gillard in Australia’s Capital City Canberra, and will call on Governor-General Ms Quentin Bryce and attend a State Lunch held in his honour at the Government House, a press statement from the Australian Prime Minister’s Office said.

Ms Gillard in the statement said, “Australia was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with Brunei and we enjoy a warm and constructive relationship based on strong education, trade, security, and people-to-people links”.

“His Majesty’s visit provides an important opportunity to enhance our bilateral relationship and to deepen our regional engagement,” Ms Gillard added.

Australia and Brunei enjoy a warm relationship dating back to well before 1959 and the relationship has strengthened in recent years, with growing links across a range of areas including defence and security, education and trade.

His Majesty made his first official visit to Australia in February 2005, visiting again in September 2007 for the APEC Summit in Sydney. The monarch’s last visit to Australia was in October 2011 to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth where he also briefly met Bruneian students.

The Governor-General, Ms Quentin Bryce, was in Brunei for a State Visit in October last year. - Borneo Bulletin (1 May 2013)