INDIA. MUMBAI: Defense Minister Rajnath Singh held a Video Conference with the Senior Defence Minister of Malaysia, YB Dato’ Seri HishammuddinTun Hussein, and had discussions on defence cooperation and framework on Monday.
A wide range of issues concerning bilateral, regional, and defense industrial cooperation were discussed during the meeting. India highlighted the areas where the country’s defence industries could assist Malaysia and further enhance the defence cooperation between the two countries.
Singh congratulated Dato’ Seri HishammuddinTun Hussein for assuming the office of the Senior Defence Minister in August 2021. An official statement said that both Ministers intended to boost the already strong India-Malaysia Defence cooperation further.
The two Ministers discussed the current defence cooperation activities and framework and ways to further enhance them under the existing Malaysia-India Defence Cooperation Meeting (MIDCOM) framework. The next MIDCOM is scheduled to be held in July 2022, and it was decided to use this platform for a deeper engagement in defence.
MIDCOM was set up when India and Malaysia signed an MoU in 1993 to enable several exchanges and meetings between high-level military personnel on both sides. The Defence Cooperation meetings at the level of Defence Secretary are held regularly.
Singh highlighted the areas in which Indian Defence industries could assist Malaysia. He suggested a visit of senior officers from Malaysia to get a first-hand experience of the facilities and products of the Indian Defence industry.
The Malaysian Senior Defence Minister expressed the need for inducting women personnel into peacekeeping missions. Both sides agreed to engage each other on this issue. It was also agreed to upgrade the capability for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations. Singh also invited the Senior Defence Minister of Malaysia to visit at a convenient early date to discuss closer and strategic defence ties.
“Had a wonderful interaction with Malaysia’s Senior Defence Minister, Hishamuddin bin Hussein, via video conference. We reaffirmed the strong defence relations between India and Malaysia and discussed opportunities for both countries to further deepen our defence cooperation,” Singh tweeted.
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