Prime Minister Lawrence Wong at the official lunch hosted by His Majesty the Sultan of Brunei (June 2024)

Your Majesty Sultan Hajji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah,
Your Majesty, Crown Prince of Pengiran, Son of Hajah Saleha,
Your Royal Highnesses,
brilliance,
Dear guests,
Ladies and gentleman,

Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kind remarks, as well as for your warm and gracious hospitality to me and my delegation. My wife and I are happy to be back in Brunei.

I am starting my inbound visits to ASEAN capitals and Brunei is my first stop. It reflects the special relationship our two countries have shared between successive generations of leaders. It is a longstanding Singaporean tradition to visit Brunei first. My ancestor, Mr. Lee Hsien Loong, when he became Prime Minister in 2004, had done so and visited Brunei as his first introductory visit. President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and former President Halimah Yacob both made Brunei the first stop on their overseas state visits as well. This reflects the importance Singapore places on our relationship with Brunei – our special and most trusted partner.

Our special relationship is defined by our shared strategic vision, as well as by the close personal ties and high level of trust between our leaders. As my team and I take up the baton of leadership in Singapore, we will build on the strong foundations laid by our predecessors, especially the late Seri Begawan and the late Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, and we will take our relations to even greater heights.

In this context, I want to convey my deepest appreciation to Your Majesty for your long-term and wise stewardship of our partnership. Under your watch, our bilateral relationship has flourished. Our two countries have not only built strong relations for today, but also bridges for the future. Your Majesty has repeatedly emphasized the importance of the Young Leaders Program (YLP), which we launched in 2012, as a way for young leaders from both sides to build their familiarity and friendship with each other. I was one of the youngest Singapore officials then to attend the inaugural YLP in Brunei. That was about 10 years ago. In December last year, I was delighted to lead the YLP in Brunei and look forward to welcoming His Royal Highness Crown Prince Billah and his family to Singapore for the 10th YLP later this year.

As Your Majesty said, the two main pillars of our partnership are defense and finance. On the financial front, the Currency Swap Agreement that was established 57 years ago continues to facilitate mutual investment, trade and tourism and remains a hallmark of our unique relationship. In defence, Brunei has been an invaluable partner. The jungles of Temburong have been an excellent, realistic training ground for generations of Singaporean soldiers, including myself and many in my delegation. This has contributed to the operational readiness of the Singapore Armed Forces and we are continuing to do more to enhance the professionalism of our respective armed forces and build trust between them, including through regular joint exercises.

Beyond these two pillars, both our countries are determined to expand our bilateral cooperation in new areas. This includes sustainability issues such as carbon markets, carbon capture and storage and renewable energy, as well as urban planning, the digital economy, food security, education and public service capacity development. Such collaborations will ensure that our two countries are well positioned for the future.

At the core of all our cooperation are our investments in developing people-to-people connections between government officials and our respective citizens. The inaugural batch of Bruneian officials seconded to Singapore government agencies under the Brunei-Singapore Work Placement Program just finished their term last month and we are already curating the next edition. Such exchanges not only ensure that our officials at various levels continue to share best practices and experiences, but also build their personal connections with each other. Beyond the government sector, I am glad that we also have platforms to develop strong ties, including the Singapore-Brunei Youth Leaders Exchange Program as well as the Brunei-Singapore Youth Education Scholarship.

As we mark the 40th anniversary of our diplomatic ties this year, it is time for us to take stock of what we have achieved together and chart our way forward together. Brunei and Singapore have stood by each other through the seasons. We are two small countries navigating an increasingly dangerous and turbulent world. So we are natural partners in many areas, both bilaterally and in ASEAN. As Prime Minister, I will pay personal attention to ensure that our friendship continues to flourish and bear fruit for our two peoples.

In closing, I would like to once again express my gratitude for Your Majesty's contributions to this special relationship. I wish that our excellent partnership will continue to keep our two nations peaceful and prosperous and may this partnership last for generations to come.