PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia and Brunei have agreed to strengthen cooperation in the field of youth and sports, as well as in Syariah judiciary, through the signing of two memoranda of understanding (MoU) at Seri Perdana here today.

Also signed was a treaty on the International Transfer of Prisoners (ITOP).

The signing and exchange of the MoU and the treaty were witnessed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the Sultan of Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, who is on a three-day state visit to Malaysia.

The MoU on the cooperation in the field of youth and sports were inked by Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh and her Brunei counterpart Datuk Seri Setia Awang Nazmi Mohamad.

Malaysian Syariah Judiciary Department director-general cum Syarie Chief Judge Datuk Mohd Amran Mat Zain and the Brunei Syarie Chief Judge Datuk Paduka Seri Setia Awang Salim Besar signed the MoU on cooperation in Syariah judiciary.

Meanwhile, the treaty on ITOP was signed by Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail and his counterpart Datuk Seri Setia Awang Ahmaddin Abdul Rahman.

Sultan Hasanal Bolkiah and his consort, Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha arrived in Kuala Lumpur yesterday for a three-day state visit to Malaysia until tomorrow.

According to Wisma Putra's statement, the state visit coincides with the 24th Malaysia-Brunei Darussalam Annual Leaders' Consultation (ALC) which will be attended by both the Sultan of Brunei and Anwar.

The Brunei Sultan's visit will further strengthen the longstanding ties and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries and partners in ASEAN.

In 2022, Brunei Darussalam was Malaysia's 26th largest trading partner and the 6th largest within ASEAN with a total trade amounting to RM13.22 billion (US$2.98 billion), an increase of 68.4 per cent compared to the recorded value in 2021.

-- BERNAMA