During the meeting between His Royal Highness and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam reaffirmed their strong partnership and discussed key milestones, including the upcoming 50th anniversary of defense cooperation and next year’s 60th anniversary of the Currency Interchangeability Agreement (CIA). Discussions also included an upcoming state visit to Singapore by His Majesty the Sultan and Yang DiPertuan of Brunei Darussalam in 2027, when Singapore is ASEAN Chair.

The two nations are advancing several economic and social projects with agreements to secure supply chains being finalized, an agritech food zone being developed, and a joint Halal food certification program being created. Both sides also welcomed the steady growthof student scholarships and civil servant exchange programs that continue to strengthen ties between both countries.

The discussion also focused on technology and automation where His Excellency the Prime Minister shared insights on how Singapore is testing self-driving vehicles to address worker shortages. Turning to security, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong highlighted the critical role of defence technology and underscored the dangers of advancing military capabilities without a robust safety framework.

Expanding on economic cooperation, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong emphasized the critical importance of strengthening interoperability between Singapore and Brunei Darussalam (SG-BD). In a rapidly fragmented global economy, building structural and digital bridges between both nations is vital to unlocking next-generation growth and ensuring joint financial stability.

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In the afternoon, His Royal Highness visited the Istana to meet with His Excellency Tharman Shanmugaratnam, President of the Republic of Singapore. His Royal Highness was welcomed by His Excellency the President and signed the guest book upon arrival, before heading into bilateral discussions aimed at reaffirming the special and longstanding partnership between the two nations.

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Upon arrival at the luncheon, His Royal Highness was welcomed by Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong, highlighting the close and enduring friendship between Brunei Darussalam and Singapore.

The meeting carried special historical meaning, as it was Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong who jointly agreed to start the Singapore-Brunei Young Leaders’ Programme (YLP) together with His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam to groom the next generation of leaders. This milestone decision was made during His Excellency’s visit to
Brunei Darussalam in 2012. Now in its 12th edition, the YLP continues to grow, expanding cooperation into new fields like artificial intelligence, the green economy, and food security under the Agri-Food Tech Zone.

The conversation focused on boosting food security under the Agri-Tech Food Zone. To protect both countries from global supply disruptions, Brunei Darussalam invited Singapore firms to invest in Brunei for chicken and egg farming to cut down on far-away imports such as from Poland and Ukraine. Brunei Darussalam also highlighted a joint aquaculture project to farm disease-resistant Barramundi fish. At the end of the lunch, His Royal Highness praised the long success of the Singapore-Brunei YLP since it first began during His Excellency’s tenure as Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore, emphasizing its unique role in connecting nextgeneration leaders to preserve the historic bond originally started by the late Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien III and the late Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.

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His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah ibni His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu‘izzaddin Waddaulah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office, departed for Singapore on Monday to attend the 12th Singapore-Brunei Young Leaders’ Programme (YLP).

The programme, which runs from September 28 to October 2, brings together young leaders from both countries.

Upon arrival at Changi International Airport, His Royal Highness was received by Singapore’s Minister-in-Attendance, Zaqy Mohamad, Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs and Senior Minister of State for Defence, and Singapore High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam Yip Wei Kiat.

Brunei Darussalam High Commissioner to Singapore Noor Qamar binti Haji Sulaiman was also present at the airport to welcome His Royal Highness.

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His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah ibni His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu‘izzaddin Waddaulah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office, departed for Singapore on Monday to attend the 12th Singapore-Brunei Young Leaders’ Programme (YLP).

The programme, which runs from September 28 to October 2, brings together young leaders from both countries.

His Royal Highness was seen off at His Majesty the Sultan’s Flight Hangar in Rimba by His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Malik, Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office.

A Doa Selamat was recited by Pehin Udana Khatib Dato Paduka Seri Setia Ustaz Awang Haji Badaruddin bin Pengarah Dato Paduka Awang Haji Othman before the departure.

Also present to bid farewell were Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran-Pengiran Cheteria, Cabinet Ministers, Members of the Privy Council, the Commissioner of Police, the Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces, and Permanent Secretaries from the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Education.

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