His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Dipertuan of Brunei Darussalam, in outlining the relationship between Brunei and Australia, expressed appreciation for the longstanding friendship and the important role Australians have played in Brunei Darussalam's development. His Majesty also highly acknowledged Australians' contribution in various areas of cooperation.
These are some of the points highlighted by His Majesty in reply to the Australian Prime Minister during a luncheon hosted by the Premier. The state visit began with a meeting between His Majesty and the Honourable Prime Minister John Howard at the Prime Minister's Suite at the Parliament House in Canberra.
His Majesty and his host exchanged views on a broad range of bilateral and regional affairs. Both leaders also discussed ways to enhance the relationship between the two countries. While at the Parliament House, His Majesty also met leader of the opposition, the Honourable Kim Beazley, a former Defence Minister of Australia.
His Majesty attended the luncheon hosted by the Prime Minister in honour of His Majesty's state visit to Australia at the Private Dining Room of the Parliament House. Also at the luncheon were the President of the Senate, the Honourable Senator Paul Calvert; Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Honourable David Hawker and leader of the opposition, the Honourable Kim Beazley.
The Prime Minister of Australia, His Excellency John Howard in welcoming His Majesty spoke about the shared vision between Brunei Darussalam and Australia. He also spoke highly of His Majesty's leadership in the region that has witnessed many challenges and successes. He went on to recall a recent visit to Aceh that was hit by the Indian Ocean tsunami. The leader of the opposition, the Honourable Kim Beazley in supporting the remarks of the Prime Minister, recalled his own visit to Brunei when he was the Defence Minister and expressed his warm welcome to His Majesty.
Brunei Darussalam's major export to Australia is crude petroleum. Export of the product during the period 2003 to 2004 amounted to almost five hundred million Australian dollars. In the same period, Brunei imported live animals worth eleven million Australian dollars.
