In this image by PIB on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025, Defence
Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh with the Secretary General of Malaysia's Ministry
of Defence Lokman Hakim Bin Ali witnesses the Exchange of MoUs between India
and Malaysia, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (PIB via PTI Photo)
NEW DELHI — India and Malaysia on Wednesday identified ways to deepen existing
defence collaborations between the two nations, particularly in the fields of
maritime security, multilateral engagements and defence industry, as they agreed
to form a "joint focus group" to address non-traditional maritime
security threats.
Both sides also identified steps to further enhance
cooperation in emerging areas such as cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence
(AI), the Indian defence ministry said.
The 13th Malaysia-India Defence Cooperation Committee
(MIDCOM) meeting took place in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday.
The meeting was co-chaired by Defence Secretary Rajesh
Kumar Singh and Lokman Hakim Bin Ali, Secretary General, Ministry of Defence, Malaysia.
"Both sides expressed happiness at the growing
bilateral defence cooperation with regular engagements between the two armed
forces in recent years," the defence ministry said in a statement.
The two sides held wide-ranging discussions on effective
and practical initiatives to further expand bilateral defence engagements, and
on regional and global issues.
"Both chairs identified steps to further enhance
cooperation in emerging areas such as cybersecurity and AI. They identified
ways to deepen the existing collaborations, particularly in defence industry,
maritime security, and multilateral engagements," the statement said.
They also agreed to form a "joint focus group to
address non-traditional maritime security threats", it said.
"Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to fully
implement the new initiatives under the defence pillar of the comprehensive
strategic partnership, as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his
Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim during the latter's visit to India in
August 2024," the statement said.
India and Malaysia also exchanged the finalised terms of
reference (ToR) on the establishment of a strategic affairs working group, the
defence ministry said.
"This forum will act as a consultative mechanism
intermediate between the MIDCOM (Malaysia-India Defence Cooperation Committee)
and the two sub-committees to progress all aspects of bilateral defence
cooperation," the statement said.
The two sides also exchanged the finalised ToR on the
establishment of an Su-30 forum as an outcome of the MIDCOM.
The Su-30 forum will "enable closer cooperation
between the two air forces in exchanging expertise and best practices in Su-30
maintenance", the statement said.
Rajesh Kumar Singh highlighted the capability of the
Indian defence industry, particularly its potential to collaborate with the
Malaysian companies and the armed forces in their capability enhancement and
modernisation efforts.
He also congratulated Malaysia on assuming the
chairmanship of ASEAN and ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus, and wished its
defence ministry the best for conducting the ADMM Plus and ASEAN Defence Senior
Officials' meetings this year, the statement said.
"India supports ASEAN centrality and unity, which is
a crucial element of India's Indo-Pacific vision. The defence secretary
reiterated India's support to Malaysia's endeavours as the ASEAN chair in
promoting a stronger, unified, and prosperous ASEAN that plays a central role in
shaping the evolving dynamics of the Indo-Pacific region," it said.
India considers Malaysia as an "important
partner" in the Indo-Pacific as Malaysia lies at the confluence of three
key foreign policy visions, i.e., the Act East Policy, SAGAR (Security and
Growth for All in the Region), and the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative, the
statement said.
