President boosts ties with Brunei The Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah (left), receives President Truong Tan Sang yesterday. — VNA/VNS Photo Nguyen Khang BRUNEI (VNS)— Viet Nam and Brunei should further their co-operation in the oil and gas sector, as well as in labour and tourism, President Truong Tan Sang and Brunei's Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah agreed. During talks following the welcome ceremony for the Vietnamese leader yesterday, the two sides planned to continue high-ranking and people-to-people exchanges and meetings, which they hope will increase mutual understanding and trust. At the talks, the leaders expressed their pleasure at the two countries' developing bilateral relations and affirmed their support for each other at regional and international forums. They agreed to promptly organise the first bilateral cooperation committee meeting to propose measures to strengthen co-operation in specific fields, especially in economics, trade and investment. According to statistics, two-way trade reached approximately US$500 million in the first nine months of this year. With 129 projects worth $4.9 billion, Brunei now ranks 12th of 92 countries and territories investing in Viet Nam. The two leaders spoke highly of defence co-operation and agreed to consider establishing a hotline between their naval forces and signing a co-operation agreement on crime prevention. Viet Nam and Brunei will promote co-operation in many areas, including agro-fishery, oil and gas, labour, tourism, education and transport. The two leaders agreed to assign relevant ministries and branches to negotiate various co-operation agreements, including the Investment Encouragement and Protection Agreement, MoUs on Fisheries and Labour and Maritime Transport Agreement. The leaders said Viet Nam and Brunei will continue to support each other at regional and international forums, especially ASEAN and the UN, and work with other ASEAN members to build an ASEAN Community by 2015. President Sang affirmed that Viet Nam will wholeheartedly back Brunei as it seeks the role of the Chair of ASEAN and AIPA in 2013. Brunei's Sultan stated that his country will support Viet Nam's hosting of the APEC Summit in 2017 and further co-operate with Viet Nam within the framework of the Trans Asia-Pacific Economic Partnership Agreement (TPP). The two leaders agreed that ensuring peace and stability in the region, maritime freedom, safety and security in the East Sea, and the settlement of disputes through peaceful means in accordance with international law, in particular the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, are essential tasks for the coming years. They welcomed ASEAN's Six-Point Principles on the East Sea and the ASEAN-China Joint Statement on the 10th Anniversary of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC). Both sides stressed the necessity to fully observe DOC and work towards the signing of a Code of Conduct (COC). After the talks, President Sang and Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah witnessed the signing of banking and petroleum cooperative documents. — VNS Việt Nam News