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Brunei and Russia established diplomatic relations in 1991. Brunei maintains an embassy in Moscow, while Russia has an embassy in Bandar Seri Begawan.[1]
In 1987, Mikhail Gorbachev called for the establishment of diplomatic relations with Brunei.[2] Although the Soviet ambassador to Singapore attempted to establish said relations with Brunei in 1988, the Sultanate was unprepared to establish relations with the Communist state at the time. On 1 October 1991, Brunei established relations with the Soviet Union.[3] [4]
In 2000, President Vladimir Putin arrived in Brunei for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, and met with the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, in the Nurul Iman Palace.[5]
On 10 June 2005, the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, made the first official visit to Russia by a head of state of Brunei. According to Gennady Chufrin, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the visit marked a serious step towards the establishment of bilateral relations.[6]
On 1 December 2008, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin signed an order to establish a Russian embassy in Bandar Seri Begawan. Andrei Nesterenko, the spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the establishment of a Russian embassy in the Brunei capital would help to intensify issues surrounding the Brunei–Russia relationship.[7]
As of January 2018, Brunei and Russia maintain a visa-free regime for ordinary passport holders, for visits up to 14 days, for a maximum total stay of 90 days within any 180 day period.