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 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 government. Brune ...

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 Muiz'zaddin Wad'daulah (born 15 July 1946) is the List of sultans of Brunei, Sultan of Brunei since 1967, and Prime Minister of Brunei, prime minister of Brunei since its 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 bin Haji Mohd. Yusof is the incumbent 2nd Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brunei. He also served as ASEAN's first special envoy to Myanmar from August to December 2021 following the Myanmar coup d'état and the resulting civil war. Educ ...

respectively. The ministry is headquartered in

Bandar Seri Begawan Bandar Seri Begawan (BSB) is the capital and largest city of Brunei. It is officially a Municipalities of Brunei, municipal area () with an area of and an estimated population of 100,700 as of 2007. It is part of Brunei–Muara District, the s ...

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 ...

under

British rule The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or dire ...

, 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 Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

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 22 January 1944) is a Bruneian aristocrat, anthropologist, politician and diplomat who served as first Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Brunei), Minister of Foreign Affairs & Trade II. Additionally, he was a member of the Priv ...

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.

List of ministers

First minister

Second minister

Deputy minister

Notes

References

External links

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

Government agencies established in 1984

Brunei Brunei, officially Brunei Darussalam, is a country in Southeast Asia, situated on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. Apart from its coastline on the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, with ...

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