PM snares fuel deal with Brunei as war concerns loom

Australia and Brunei person expressed ”deep concern” implicit the war successful the Middle East, arsenic the leaders of some nations pledge to work together connected strengthening vigor supply chains and maintaining unfastened trade flows.

Following ceremonial talks successful Brunei’s Royal Palace, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has signed a associated statement with the country’s sultan, akin to a papers connected substance information struck with Singapore’s person past week.

”Brunei Darussalam and Australia are longstanding friends and broad partners, and stock a committedness to the peace, stability and prosperity of our region,” the papers states.

”Our adjacent narration is grounded successful strategic trust, unfastened markets, and rules-based trade, which underpin the prosperity and information of our peoples and region. We reaffirm these shared principles, which are indispensable astatine this time.”

”We are committed to working together to strengthen vigor supply concatenation resilience, including by deepening determination cooperation, accelerating alternate vigor resources including renewable energy, and maintaining unfastened trade flows.”

While being welcomed by Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah astatine his palace, Albanese remarked to the monarch that the weather was overmuch warmer than successful Canberra.

Brunei was dealing with ”unpredictable weather”, the sultan replied.

The monarch said it was bully to speak with Albanese successful idiosyncratic aft a telephone telephone the erstwhile week and remarked connected the premier minister’s engaged travel schedule.

”Australia has ever been a trusted person and partner. Over the years, our relations person continued to prosper,” helium told Albanese during a bilateral meeting.

Albanese will depart Brunei connected Wednesday for talks with his Malaysian counterpart successful Kuala Lumpur that will besides beryllium focused connected substance security.

Earlier, the premier curate visited a fertiliser plant, surrounded by a tangle of gleaming pipes and towering chimneys.

Clad successful a grey and greenish information jacket, tan pants and achromatic lace-up boots, Albanese took portion successful the tour connected Wednesday successful the archetypal afloat time of his trip to Brunei and Malaysia.

Along with securing Australia’s semipermanent substance supplies, helium is hoping to use his visit to boost imports of fertiliser-grade urea, which person taken a deed arsenic trade disruptions from the war successful the Middle East ripple astir the world.

Touring the installation on with Brunei Fertiliser Industries main enforcement Harri Kiiski, astir of the speech betwixt the brace was drowned retired by the sound of concern machinery.

The fertiliser works produces astir 10 per cent of Australia’s urea supplies.

Albanese was shown to the plant’s power country where helium viewed samples of urea, destined for Australia.

About 600 workers are employed astatine the plant, which started accumulation successful '22 and astatine maximum capableness tin nutrient 1.365 cardinal tonnes of fertiliser each year.

While Brunei is simply a smaller substance shaper than galore different countries successful the region, such arsenic Singapore and Malaysia, Australia still imports 9 per cent of its diesel, 11 per cent of its crude lipid and 11 per cent of its fertiliser-grade urea from the small sultanate.

Australia is besides a ample supplier of nutrient to Brunei, having supplied astir three-quarters of its nutrient imports successful 2024.

Albanese’s attack of focusing connected what Australia brings to the table echoes his negotiations with different Southeast Asian nations, including Singapore, where helium sought precedence entree to substance supplies by guaranteeing shipments of goods such arsenic liquefied earthy gas.

Source: AAP