​The Honourable Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (R) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Awang Halbi bin Haji Mohd Yussof, Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Defence II, Brunei Darussalam, attended the 36th OPEC and Non-OPEC Ministerial Meeting (36th ONOMM) held virtually on 30 November 2023. 

The Meeting was chaired by His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al-Saud, Minister of Energy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and co-chaired by His Excellency Alexander Valentinovich Novak, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, with the presence of His Excellency Antonio Oburu Ondo, Minister of Mines and Hydrocarbons of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, as President of the 2023 OPEC Conference.

During the Meeting, the OPEC and Non-OPEC Participating Countries in the Declaration of Cooperation (DoC) supported the recommendations proposed at the 51^st Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee (51^st JMMC) Meeting, held prior to the 36^th ONOMM.

The DoC between OPEC and non-OPEC Oil Producing Countries was incepted on 10 December 2016, recognizing the need for joint cooperation of the oil exporting countries to achieve lasting stability in the oil market in the interest of oil producers and consumers. In its current setting, the Ministerial Meeting will be held every six (6) months, and the next Meeting (37^th ONOMM) is scheduled to be held on 1 June 2024 in Vienna, Austria.

Also present during the Meeting were Yang Mulia Awang Haji Muhammad Azmi bin Haji Mohd Hanifah, Deputy Minister (Energy) at the Prime Minister’s Office, Yang Mulia Hajah Farida binti Dato Paduka Haji Talib, Permanent Secretary (Energy) at the Prime Minister’s Office, and Yang Mulia Awang Haji Asrul Adrain bin Pehin Orang Kaya Setia Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Dr. Awang Haji Ahmad, Acting Permanent Secretary (Fiscal I), Ministry of Finance and Economy.