KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 19 — Malaysia and Germany are committed to strengthening defence ties, cooperation and diplomacy, including in terms of joint training, exposure training for Malaysian Armed Forces personnel and the development of local defence industry.
The Defence Ministry said in a statement today that the commitment was expressed during Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin’s bilateral meeting with his German counterpart Boris Pistorius during his official visit to Germany from February 15 to 18.
“The Defence Minister’s official visit to Germany is vital in ensuring the defence cooperation between Malaysia and its partners is strengthened.
“The matter is in line with the National Defence Strategy’s third pillar, credible partnerships as contained in the Defence White Paper,” the ministry said.
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Mohamed Khaled and his delegation had also joined the Munich Security Conference (MSC), from February 16 to 18 during his visit.
The MSC is the highest security conference organised by Germany since 1963 and involves the participation of defence ministers, armed forces chiefs and government leaders from Europe and the entire world.
“The MSC, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, has become a vital international platform for exchanging ideas on international security policies,” the Defence Ministry said.
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Mohamed Khaled also took the time to meet Singapore Defence Minister Dr Ng Eng Hen to discuss regional strategic issues and bilateral ties.
The ministry added that Malaysia and Singapore is also committed to boosting Asean’s role in the context of defence and will continue to uphold their roles through the Asean Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM).
“The Defence Minister also met with his Canadian counterpart, Bill Blair and discussed various issues and defence aspect dynamics, including defence diplomacy, the effects of climate change and potential future relations between Canada and the Asean region,” the ministry said.
Mohamed Khaled and his delegation also visited the offices of Brainlab AG and met with the Rheinmetall group of companies.
“The Malaysian delegation was briefed on the latest technology and innovations by the companies in the field of medicine and defence, and also discussed ongoing efforts to boost cooperation between Malaysia and Germany with industry players,” the ministry added. — Bernama
