India and Malaysia decide to enhance defence cooperation

Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh held a Video Conference with Senior Defence Minister of Malaysia, YB Dato ‘Seri HishammuddinTun Hussein on June 27, 2022. A wide range of issues concerning bilateral, regional and defence industrial cooperation were discussed during the meeting.

Raksha Mantri congratulated Dato ‘Seri HishammuddinTun Hussein for assuming the office of the Senior Defence Minister in August, 2021. Both Ministers expressed the intent to further boost the already strong India-Malaysia Defence cooperation.

The two Ministers discussed the existing 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 held in July 2022, and it was decided to use this platform for a deeper engagement in defence.

Shri Rajnath Singh highlighted the areas in which Indian Defence industries could assist Malaysia. He suggested a visit of senior officers from Malaysia to India to get a first-hand experience of the facilities and products of Indian Defence industry.

The Malaysian Senior Defence Minister expressed the need for inducting women personnel in peace keeping missions. Both sides agreed to engage each other on this issue. It was also agreed to upgrade capability for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations.

Raksha Mantri also invited Senior Defence Minister of Malaysia to visit India at an early convenient date to discuss closer and strategic defence ties.