SINGAPORE – Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong is travelling to Brunei from Dec 11 to 14 for the 9th Young Leaders’ Programme (YLP).
DPM Wong, who was invited by Brunei’s Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, will lead a delegation of Singapore political office-holders during the four-day visit.
It will be his first time co-chairing the programme with Crown Prince Billah, said Singapore’s Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Dec 11.
The programme, which started in 2013, is an annual exchange of visits that Singapore and Brunei take turns to host.
“The YLP reflects the strong commitment of both countries to enhance their special bilateral relationship through deepening ties between the next generation of leaders,” said the PMO, adding that the visit reaffirms Singapore’s strong commitment to build on bilateral ties.
Several political office-holders will accompany DPM Wong. They comprise Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean; Minister in the PMO and Second Minister for National Development and Finance Indranee Rajah; Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment and Manpower Koh Poh Koon; Senior Minister of State for Defence and Manpower Zaqy Mohamad; and Senior Minister of State for National Development and Communications and Information Tan Kiat How.
Both Brunei and Singapore will discuss ways to take their bilateral partnership forward in the years ahead as they commemorate the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2024.
These include working together in the traditional pillars of cooperation on defence, finance, trade and investment, and education, as well as exploring new areas of shared interest such as food security, renewable energy and the green economy, said the PMO.
DPM Wong and the delegation will have audiences with Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah as well as Crown Prince Billah.
The Crown Prince and his wife, Princess Pengiran Anak Sarah, will also host DPM Wong and the delegation for a morning walk and breakfast at the Abode eco-resort in Temburong.
DPM Wong and the delegation will attend the commissioning ceremony of Al-Faruq, the second of two former Fearless-class patrol vessels that the Republic of Singapore Navy has transferred to the Royal Brunei Navy.
He will also deliver a special lecture on the mutually beneficial and enduring nature of the special Singapore-Brunei relationship to Bruneian leaders, senior officials, academics and students.
In September, Brunei Prince Abdul Mateen visited Singapore as a Lee Kuan Yew Exchange Fellow and was hosted to dinner by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who said that Brunei and Singapore enjoy ties that are multifaceted and special, with a key pillar of the partnership between the nations being defence.
