KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has received support from European Union leaders after Norway scrapped a naval strike missile (NSM) deal recently, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The Prime Minister said he had written to these European leaders about Norway’s treatment.
Following this, he said French President Emmanuel Macron sent him a personal note stating that this did not represent the EU’s position.
Similarly, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and leaders from Germany extended the same support to Malaysia on the matter.
“When you talk about Malaysia and the EU, this Norwegian stance against our government, of course, will not necessarily affect our relations with the EU,” he said during a question-and-answer session at the 39th Asia-Pacific Roundtable here yesterday.
Malaysia had settled 95% of the contract’s €124mil (RM571.9mil) value since the deal was signed in 2018, but Norway halted shipment of the anti-ship missiles in May 2026, citing national security.
In a written parliamentary reply on July 1, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said Malaysia is seeking to recover the money paid.
The contract was signed with the Norwegian defence firm Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace AS.
Malaysia is also seeking compensation of about RM1bil from the manufacturer.
Anwar said yesterday that he was puzzled by the “security considerations” cited by Norway in abruptly cancelling the missile deal.
He also said the United States had pointed out that it did not influence or pressure Norway to halt the deal with Malaysia.
