KUALA LUMPUR: The Defence Cooperation Agreement between Malaysia and the United States is not a legally binding agreement, says Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin (pic).
The Defence Minister clarified that the agreement, signed with the United States Department of Defense on the sidelines of the Asean Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) and ADMM-Plus on Oct 30, is a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and not a binding agreement as previously stated.
"It is non-binding in nature and negotiations for the agreement began as early as 2020. The signing of the MOU was unrelated to the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade, which was concluded on Oct 26 during the Asean Summit in Kuala Lumpur," he said in a statement on Saturday (Dec 13).
His statement follows criticism of the agreement from former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Mohamed Khaled said the MOU focuses on bilateral cooperation activities between Malaysia and the United States, including capability and capacity development, military training and exercises, defence science, technology and industry, as well as other mutually agreed areas.
"These areas of cooperation are discussed through the Malaysia–US Strategic Talks (MUSST), which have been ongoing since 2008," he added.
He said the signing of defence cooperation MOUs with partner countries is part of defence diplomacy, as outlined under the Third Pillar of the Defence White Paper launched in 2019, when Dr Mahathir was serving as Malaysia’s seventh Prime Minister.
"Besides the United States, Malaysia has signed similar defence cooperation MOUs with several other countries, including China (2016), Japan (2018), Laos (2019), Indonesia (2022), Vietnam (2023) and most recently the United Arab Emirates on Dec 11.
"These agreements, including the one with the United States, are consistent with Malaysia’s neutral and non-aligned foreign policy, and support the country’s commitment to the Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality (ZOPFAN) declaration signed by Asean member states in 1971," he said.
Mohamed Khaled also expressed his appreciation for Dr Mahathir’s concern, reiterating that the signing of the Defence Cooperation MOU with the United States was carried out in the national interest to ensure Malaysia remains safe, sovereign and prosperous.
