Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Brunei)


The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, previously known as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, is the cabinet-level ministry in the Government of Brunei responsible for handling Brunei's external relations, the management of its international diplomatic missions and the nation's foreign trade policy. The ministry is led by the Minister and Second Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade; since 2018, the incumbents are Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and Erywan bin Mohd Yusof respectively.

Ministers

From 1888 until 1984, Brunei was a protectorate under British rule, but the nation began the foundations of a foreign ministry by creating a Diplomatic Service Department. After achieving full independence from the United Kingdom 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 was the Second Minister of Foreign Affairs & Trade. The current Second Minister is Erywan Yusof.

Budget

In the fiscal year 2018–19, the annual budget for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is 117 million Brunei dollars, an increase from about B$108 million in the previous fiscal year.