KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia and Australia will strengthen cooperation in the field of defence in the future, including in the areas of cyber security and artificial intelligence (AI), says Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
The Defence Minister said the decision was made at the 4th Malaysia-Australia Joint Defence Programme (MAJDP) High-Level Committee (HLC) Meeting, which was co-chaired by him and Australia's Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles at the Commonwealth Parliament Offices, Melbourne on Tuesday (Dec 11).
According to Khaled, other matters discussed at the meeting included existing defence ties, including through Operation Gateway, exercises such as HARINGAROO and Keris Strike as well as the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA).
"Both countries appreciate each other's contributions in the context of strengthening existing cooperation," he said in a statement here on Wednesday (Dec 11).
In addition, Khaled informed that at the meeting, the two countries also discussed the development of cyber clusters, which is seen as important nowadays.
He said issues related to geopolitical and defence developments in Asean and around the world were also discussed in the meeting as Malaysia is finalising preparations for the Asean Chairmanship next year.
"Australia recognises the role played by Malaysia in mapping Asean which is seen to be functioning quite well and the country will always pay attention to it," he said.
Khaled said both countries would also ensure that cooperation plans, especially in the five-year plan ahead, were streamlined to be more structured and organised, including in terms of enhancing maritime domain capabilities and developing Malaysia's defence capacity.
Khaled has been in Australia since Dec 9 for a two-day official working visit to strengthen defence cooperation between the two countries.- Bernama
