In a video conference with Malaysian Defence Minister Y. B. Dato ‘Seri HishammuddinTun Hussein on Monday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh highlighted the areas in which Indian defence industries could assist Malaysia. “Mr. Singh suggested a visit of senior officers from Malaysia to India to get a first-hand experience of the facilities and products of Indian defence industry,” the Defence Ministry said in a statement. Stating that the Malaysian Minister expressed the need for inducting women personnel in peacekeeping missions, the Ministry said, “Both sides agreed to engage each other on this issue. It was also agreed to upgrade capability for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations.”
The two Minister also discussed the existing defence cooperation activities and framework between the two countries, and ways to further enhance them under the existing Malaysia India Defence Cooperation Meeting (MIDCOM) framework.
The next MIDCOM is scheduled to held in July, and it was decided to use this platform for a deeper engagement in defence, the Ministry said.
“A wide range of issues concerning bilateral, regional and defence industrial cooperation were discussed during the meeting. Both Ministers expressed the intent to further boost the already strong India-Malaysia Defence cooperation,” it added.
Mr. Singh congratulated his counterpart for assuming the office of the Senior Defence Minister in August 2021. He also invited the Senior Defence Minister of Malaysia to visit India at an early convenient date to discuss closer and strategic defence ties.
