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 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 Prince Abdul Mateen and Erywan Yusof respectively. The ministry is headquartered in Bandar Seri Begawan.
History
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.PEHIN ORANG KAYA PEKERMA DEWA DATO SERI PADUKA LIM JOCK SENG, SECOND MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS - BRUNEIresources.com The current Second Minister is Erywan Yusof.
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 No.PortraitMinisterTerm startTerm endTime in officeRef.1Mohamed Bolkiah1 January 198422 October 20152Hassanal Bolkiah22 October 20154 June 20263Abdul Mateen4 June 2026Incumbent
Second minister No.PortraitMinisterTerm startTerm endTime in officeRef.1Lim Jock Seng24 May 200530 January 20182Erywan Yusof30 January 2018incumbent
Deputy minister No.PortraitMinisterTerm startTerm endTime in officeRef.1Zakaria Sulaiman20 October 198619892–3 years2Ali Mohammad Daud198924 May 200515–16 years3Erywan Yusof22 October 201530 January 2018
See also Foreign relations of Brunei Diplomatic missions of Brunei
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