New Delhi, July 1 (NVI): India and Malaysia on Wednesday reviewed the entire spectrum of bilateral military cooperation during the 12th Sub Committee Meeting on Military Cooperation (SCMC) held in New Delhi and reaffirmed their shared commitment to peace, stability, security and freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific.
The meeting was co-chaired by Amitabh Prasad, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Defence, and Major General Amer Mahmud Bin Abdul Rahman, Assistant Chief of Staff (Defence Operations and Training) of the Malaysian Armed Forces.
According to the Ministry of Defence, the two sides reviewed ongoing defence engagements, including military-to-military exchanges, bilateral exercises, training, staff talks, capacity building, maritime cooperation and collaboration in emerging domains.
They expressed satisfaction over the steady progress in bilateral defence ties and agreed to further strengthen cooperation through enhanced exchanges, professional interactions and greater participation in each other’s military training courses and institutions.
The discussions also covered expanding cooperation in defence industry, defence technology, cyber security and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR).
Both countries appreciated each other’s participation in the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) framework and reiterated their commitment to promoting practical cooperation under the Experts’ Working Group on Counter-Terrorism.
The two sides also exchanged views on regional and global security developments and reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining peace, stability, security and freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific in accordance with international law.
The defence ministry said the meeting highlighted the importance of defence cooperation as a key pillar of the India-Malaysia Enhanced Strategic Partnership and reaffirmed the commitment of both countries to deepen bilateral defence ties based on mutual trust and shared interests.
The Malaysian delegation also called on Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, visited the DPSU Bhawan at the World Trade Centre in New Delhi and paid tribute to India’s fallen soldiers by laying a wreath at the National War Memorial.—(NVI)
