Malaysia and Vietnam remain committed to enhancing defence cooperation for ASEAN stability, says Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia and Vietnam remain committed to further strengthening defence cooperation, which will contribute towards advancing peace, stability and prosperity in ASEAN, said Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
In a statement today, he said the matter was among the issues discussed during a bilateral meeting with Vietnamese Minister of National Defence Gen Phan Van Giang, held in conjunction with his two-day official visit to Vietnam which began yesterday.
Mohamed Khaled said the discussions covered various areas of cooperation, including bilateral military training, intelligence sharing, maritime domain awareness, submarine rescue operations, artificial intelligence (AI), defence industry collaboration and efforts to address emerging security challenges, including grey zone activities.
“I also proposed that the cooperation mechanism be further strengthened through the High-Level Committee to ensure every initiative can be coordinated and implemented more effectively,” he said.
On regional strategic developments, including the South China Sea issue, Mohamed Khaled stressed that peace and stability must continue to be upheld through dialogue, diplomacy and international law, while supporting the conclusion of an effective and meaningful Code of Conduct (COC).
“Malaysia emphasises that ASEAN must continue to uphold unity, strategic autonomy and its central role in maintaining regional peace and stability,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF), in a statement today, said Mohamed Khaled’s official visit reflected the continued commitment of Malaysia and Vietnam to enhancing defence relations at the highest level, following the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Defence Cooperation on Nov 4, 2023.
It said Mohamed Khaled’s official visit began with a courtesy call on Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung yesterday.
According to the statement, the discussion focused on the future direction of technical cooperation, including the coordination of courses and training programmes for military officers, as well as efforts to strengthen maritime security.
“During the meeting, both sides reaffirmed their full commitment to the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) and ADMM-Plus platforms to ensure the multilateral frameworks remain effective and relevant in line with the principle of ASEAN Centrality,” said the ministry.
MINDEF said the visit reflected the aspirations of the National Defence Strategic Plan 2026-2030 through Core 6: Strengthening International Defence Relations in Ensuring National Sovereignty.
“The implementation of this bilateral defence diplomacy directly supports the main pillar of Competent Partnership outlined in the Defence White Paper,while further strengthening national security, regional stability and global peace,” said the statement.
