The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA; , ''KHELN''), formerly known as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MOFAT), is the cabinet-level ministry in the

government of Brunei The Government of Brunei Darussalam is the union government created by the constitution of Brunei where by the Sultan of Brunei is both head of state and head of government (Prime Minister of Brunei). Executive power is exercised by the governme ...

which is responsible for handling Brunei's external relations, the management of its international diplomatic missions and the nation's foreign trade policy. It was established immediately upon Brunei's independence on 1 January 1984. It is currently led by a minister and a second minister, in which the incumbents are

Hassanal Bolkiah Hassanal Bolkiah ibni Omar Ali Saifuddien III ( Jawi: ; born 15 July 1946) is the 29th and current Sultan and Yang di-Pertuan of Brunei since 1967 and the Prime Minister of Brunei since independence from the United Kingdom in 1984. He is one ...

, the

Sultan of Brunei The sultan of Brunei is the monarchical head of state of Brunei and head of government in his capacity as prime minister of Brunei. Since independence from the British in 1984, only one sultan has reigned, though the royal institution dates bac ...

, and

Erywan Yusof Erywan Yusof () is the incumbent 2nd Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brunei and ASEAN's special envoy to Myanmar. Education Yusof graduated from University College Swansea (now Swansea University) in 1991 with a Master of Science degree in Gen ...

respectively. The ministry is headquartered in

Bandar Seri Begawan Bandar Seri Begawan (BSB; Jawi: بندر سري بڬاوان; ) is the capital city of Brunei. It is officially a municipal area () with an area of and an estimated population of 100,700 as of 2007. It is part of Brunei-Muara District, the sm ...

Ministers

*1984–2015:

Mohamed Bolkiah Mohamed Bolkiah ibni Omar Ali Saifuddien III (born 27 August 1947) is a member of the royal family of Brunei. He is the second son of Omar Ali Saifuddien III, the 28th Sultan of Brunei, and Raja Isteri (Queen) Pengiran Anak Damit. He is the H ...

*2015–present:

History

From 1888 until 1984, Brunei was a

protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a State (polity), state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over m ...

under

British rule The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

, but the nation began the foundations of a foreign ministry by creating a Diplomatic Service Department. After achieving full independence from the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

in January 1984, Brunei immediately established an independent foreign ministry, then known as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 2005, the government merged the ministry with the former International Relations and Trade Department of the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources. The addition of "Foreign Trade" to the ministry's official name was made to reflect the full scope of its responsibilities. From 2005 until 2018,

Lim Jock Seng Lim Jock Seng (born January 22, 1944) is a Bruneian politician who served as Second Minister of Foreign Affairs & Trade. He was a member of the Legislative Council of Brunei during his tenure as Minister. Early life and education Lim Jock Seng ...

was the Second Minister of Foreign Affairs & Trade.PEHIN ORANG KAYA PEKERMA DEWA DATO SERI PADUKA LIM JOCK SENG, SECOND MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
- BRUNEIresources.com The current Second Minister is

Budget

In the fiscal year 2022–23, the ministry has been allocated with a budget of B$127 million, a 4.3 percent increase from the previous year.

Notes

References

External links

Foreign Affairs ''Foreign Affairs'' is an American magazine of international relations and U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership organization and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and ...

Government agencies established in 1984

Brunei Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely sur ...