Leaders of Brunei and Bangladesh agreed to advance bilateral relations and strengthen the existing mechanisms between the two countries, including regular meetings at the level of foreign minister.

According to a joint statement between Brunei and Bangladesh released on the website of Brunei's foreign ministry on Monday, Brunei's Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah paid a state visit to Bangladesh from Oct. 15 to 16 and met with Bangladeshi President Md Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Leaders of the two countries acknowledged with satisfaction that the relationship has reached a new height with the visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Brunei in 2019 and the Sultan's first-ever visit to Bangladesh in 2022.

Both sides agreed to work closely together as development partners in view of the strong commonalities existing in faith, tradition and culture, and shared vision of prosperity, peace and stability.

Both sides identified trade and investment as areas of vital bilateral cooperation and expressed their keenness to work to increase the volume of two-way trade, which is currently far below the potential.

The leaders also agreed to work in new and emerging areas, including information and communications technology, green technology, and blue economy.

Both sides reiterated that the visit of the Sultan would usher in a new chapter in the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Brunei. They expressed optimism for a stronger and deeper partnership for the mutual benefit of the two countries.