Malaysia, India to work together to defeat violent extremism, terrorism

Malaysia and India will work together to defeat violent extremism and terrorism, said Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

In a joint press conference with visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi after their bilateral talks here today, Najib said Malaysia and India shared common position in combating extremism and terrorism.

"We expect to counter terrorism and to work closely together to defeat violent extremism and terrorism," he said.

Acknowledging that India has a very dynamic and strong defense industry, Najib said the relevant ministries in Malaysia and India would discuss possibilities of expanding bilateral defence and security.

Meanwhile, Modi said he was grateful for the security cooperation with Malaysia as it underlined shared commitment to deal with security challenges.

He said the recent spate of attacks in different countries, not to mention the ceaseless terrorist attempts against India and Afghanistan, are a reminder of the global nature of the threat, and India and Malaysia would continue to deepen cooperation in the related areas.

"Prime minister (Najib) you have provided leadership in combating extremism and radicalization, rejecting any link between terrorism and religion, and in highlighting the real values of Islam.

"This is a great contribution to an important aspect of our global efforts against this challenge," he said.

Modi said India and Malaysia would strengthen defence cooperation, including for advancing maritime security and strengthening disaster response in the region.

"I am pleased that we have agreed to upgrade our joint exercises and set up the SU-30 Forum.

"We will do more in terms of level and complexity of exercises and collaboration in training and defence equipment," he said.

In a joint statement on enhanced Malaysia-India Strategic Partnership released in conjunction with the bilateral meetings, Malaysia and India agreed to continue to share information and best practices to address the challenges posed by terrorism and other traditional and non-traditional threats.

Both countries also reaffirmed that Malaysia and India share a mutual interest in cooperating for peace, prosperity and security of the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.

Malaysia and India also welcomed the outcome of the joint exercise, Harimau Shakti, and to upgrade the exercise to company level, and subsequently to tri-services exercises.

Malaysia and India also agreed to establish a mechanism for sharing of information, including for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster relief (HADR) and white shipping.

Both countries also agreed to establish linkages between the Centre for United Nation Peacekeeping of India (CUNPK) and Malaysian Peacekeeping Centre (MPC).