NEW DELHI: India and Malaysia have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral defence ties, agreeing to expand cooperation in military training, maritime security, cyber security and defence technology.
The commitment was made during the 12th India-Malaysia Sub Committee Meeting on Military Cooperation (SCMC) held here on July 1.
According to a media note issued by the High Commission of India in Kuala Lumpur, both sides reviewed the full spectrum of bilateral defence cooperation.
The meeting was co-chaired by Joint Secretary in India's Ministry of Defence Amitabh Prasad and Malaysian Armed Forces Assistant Chief of Staff for Defence Operations and Training Maj Gen Amer Mahmud Abdul Rahman.
Both sides expressed satisfaction with the steady progress achieved in military-to-military exchanges, bilateral exercises, training, staff talks, capacity building, maritime cooperation and collaboration in emerging domains.
The two countries agreed to further strengthen ties through expanded professional exchanges, greater participation in military training programmes and closer collaboration in defence industry, defence technology, cyber security and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
They also reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining peace, stability, security and freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific region in accordance with international law.
The SCMC serves as the principal military-to-military consultative mechanism between India and Malaysia.
It acts as the precursor to the India-Malaysia Defence Cooperation Meeting at the Defence Secretary level.
During the visit, India and Malaysia also held the 11th Indian Navy and Royal Malaysian Navy Staff Talks, which concluded here on the same day.
The naval talks were co-chaired by Rear Admiral Srinivas Maddula of the Indian Navy and Rear Admiral Datuk Pahlawan Mohd Fadzli Kamal Mohd Mohaldin of the Royal Malaysian Navy.
Discussions focused on strengthening bilateral naval engagements, enhancing maritime cooperation and advancing collaborative efforts towards maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region.
