CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA, 27 February – 1 March 2012 – Dato Paduka Mustappa bin Haji Sirat, Deputy Minister of Defence, Brunei Darussalam, is currently on his official visit to Australia upon the invitation of The Honourable Stephen Smith MP, Minister of Defence, Australia.
A formal bilateral discussion was held today at the Parliament House. During the discussion, both sides expressed satisfaction with the overall bilateral defence relations and committed to strengthen and enhance further the existing cooperation especially in the areas of exercises and trainings. The emphasis on this is to increase interoperability between the two countries’ armed forces. Both sides also hoped to explore the possibility of collaborating closely in the area of science and technology.
Brunei Darussalam also briefed on its preparation of the Chairmanship of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting in 2013, particular, the hosting of the 2nd ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting. Australia expressed its strong support for Brunei Darussalam to chair the 2nd ADMM-Plus next year.
The formal bilateral discussion was followed by the roundtable discussion with officials from various departments under the Australian Department of Defence and Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Before the formal bilateral discussion, Dato Paduka Mustappa and The Honourable Stephen paid respect at the Australian War Memorial.