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 the local defence industry.
In a statement today, the Defence Ministry (Mindef) said 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 February 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,” it said.
Khaled and his delegation also joined the Munich Security Conference (MSC), from February 16 to February 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,” Mindef said.
Khaled also took the time to meet Singapore Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen to discuss regional strategic issues and bilateral ties.
Malaysia and Singapore are 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,” it said.
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,” Mindef added.
— Bernama
