Malaysia, Indonesia committed to deepen defence relations

Malaysia and Indonesia will further deepen bilateral defence relations and underscore the importance of expanding the cooperation based on shared interests of both countries despite facing the COVID-19 pandemic challenge.

The Defence Ministry in a statement said its Minister, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob and his Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto held a video conference at 4.30 pm today, where both ministers acknowledged the longstanding ties between Malaysia and Indonesia.

"They had an open and wide-ranging discussion that reflected the strength of the relationship. The defence ties between Malaysia and Indonesia have seen excellent progress under the ambit of the General Border Committee (GBC) which was established in 1972.

"The defence relations have also strengthened through sub-regional initiatives, namely the Malacca Straits Patrol (MSP) and the Trilateral Cooperative Arrangement (TCA) together with the Philippines," it said.

The statement added Prabowo also congratulated Ismail Sabri on his appointment as the Senior Minister (Security Cluster) and Defence Minister.

Prior to the video conference, Ismail Sabri also received a courtesy call from Bangladesh High Commissioner to Malaysia Md Shahidul Islam.

"Among the matters discussed during the meeting were the strengthening of bilateral defence relations between Malaysia and Bangladesh as well as issues of common concern regarding the prevailing COVID-19 situation, including the repatriation of undocumented migrants from Bangladesh," the statement said.

-- BERNAMA