Commander of Brunei's Armed Forces Given Medal of Honor

Jakarta, June 17 (Antara) -- Commander of Indonesia's National Defense Forces (TNI) General Moeldoko presented the "Yudha Dharma Utama" medal to Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (ABDB) Major General Mohammad Tawih Bin Abdulah here on Wednesday. The medal of honor was conferred at the TNI Headquarters in recognition of his services in improving cooperation between the Indonesian and Bruneian governments in general and for his contribution to the progress and development of the TNI in particular. In his message to welcome to the ABDB commander, General Moeldoko also congratulated the ABDB for celebrating its 54th anniversary in May with a hope that under the leadership of Major General Mohammad Tawih Bin Abdulah, it would play a greater role in creating a more peaceful, conducive, secure and prosperous ASEAN region. General Moeldoko further noted that the TNI and ABDB had agreed to hold a routine meeting once every two years under a Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia High Level Committee (Bruneisia HLC) Forum. This year, it will be held in Brunei. At the meeting, the sub-committees on intelligence, operations and personnel will present their progress reports on their work in the past two years. "The strong relations between the nations will continue. Regardless of who the commander is, the relations developed so far will not deteriorate but will improve," General Moeldoko affirmed. The TNI commander, who will retire soon, also pointed out that the increasingly dynamic situation in the region requires stronger relations, and it so happens that the armed forces of the two countries have so far had the opportunity to contribute significantly towards it. Moreover, Commander of the ABDB Major General Mohammad Tawih Bin Abdulah said he felt honored and happy for the welcome and support of the TNI and for allowing him to visit Indonesia. "I would like to thank the TNI commander personally for having awarded me with the Yudha Dharma Utama medal," he remarked. He expressed hope that future relations would continue to develop and be strengthened. Abdulah also hopes that the relations between the TNI and ABDB continue to progress, thanks to the similarities in the languages used in the two countries.