JAKARTA, April 30 — Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin and his Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto met today to discuss various issues, including security challenges and promoting stability in Southeast Asia.
Both ministers are committed to continuing to support Asean as a peaceful, free, and neutral zone, thus contributing to the region’s well-being despite the current challenges.
“We discussed and agreed that ensuring Asean Centrality can continue to be used as a guide to steer the future of the region,” Khaled told the press after a courtesy call on Prabowo, who is also the President-Elect of Indonesia, at the Indonesian Defence Ministry today.
In the meeting, Khaled emphasised the importance of Indonesia as a developed and prosperous country capable of bringing a balance between Asean and other nations to face challenges in the region.
The two ministers also discussed initiatives to improve military ties based on the agreement signed in 2022, including intelligence, along with science and technology in the defence sector.
Officials in the ministries of the two countries will hold follow-up discussions on cooperation in several related focus areas, given that “war and challenges in the defence sector and industry depend on science and technology”.
“We also agreed to pay particular attention to dealing with the challenges of cyber security and also terrorism, the implementation of this year’s General Board Committee Meeting in Kuala Lumpur in November or December,” he said.
The two-hour discussion also touched on Myanmar, the South China Sea, and the unrest in the Middle East.
Khaled and Prabowo met for the second time after their first meeting in Kuala Lumpur on April 4.
Khaled’s arrival began with the playing of the national anthems of both countries before inspecting the Guard of Honour accompanied by Indonesian Deputy Defence Minister Lieutenant-General Muhammad Herindra.
His delegation included Malaysian Ambassador to Indonesia Syed Md Hasrin Tengku Hussin, Defence Ministry Secretary-General Datuk Seri Isham Ishak, Defence Attache Brigadier-General Azrin Iskandar Zulkaply, and Malaysian Defence Intelligence Organisation Director-General Lieutenant-General Datuk Mohd Razali Alias.
— Bernama
