High Commission of India

Kuala Lumpur

PRESS RELEASE

At the invitation of the Malaysian Defence Secretary General Dato’ Halimi bin Abd Manaf, an Indian defence delegation led by Defence Secretary, Mr. Sanjay Mitra visited Malaysia from 20-22 November 2018 for the 11^th Malaysia-India Defence Cooperation Meeting (MIDCOM). MIDCOM is a bilateral institutional mechanism of holding meetings at the level of Secretary General of Defence.

The Indian defence delegation comprised senior officials of Ministry of Defence, Armed Forces and defence industries. MIDCOM deliberations allowed the two sides to further consolidate the existing strong bilateral defence ties and explore new avenues of defence cooperation.

India and Malaysia have traditionally enjoyed good relations, and in the last one year, the bilateral defence cooperation have gained excellent momentum. The Royal Malaysian Navy and the Indian Navy conducted the first-ever field training exercise (FTX), Exercise Samudra Laksmana in Malacca Straits in December 2017, while Exercise Harimau Shakti was upgraded to a company level bilateral Army FTX in May this year. Further, the two air forces, which share several common platforms, also conducted the inaugural FTX in August 2018, and witnessed Su-30 pilots of Royal Malaysian Air Force and Indian Air Force rubbing shoulders with each other and practising manoeuvres. Malaysia also participated in a multilateral naval exercise (MILAN-2018), conducted by India. Malaysia upgraded its participation as full member in Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), an initiative of Indian Navy.

Amid the growing and mutually beneficial bilateral defence engagement, conduct of the 11^th MIDCOM holds a special significance. The strengthening and deepening of defence relations between India and Malaysia is a manifestation of the common vision and values shared by the two vibrant democracies and fast-growing economies of the region, which are- peace and prosperity of all.

The 11^th MIDCOM focussed on enhancing bilateral military cooperation between the two professional armed forces, as well as cooperation in the field of defence industry, science and technology. Secretary General of Malaysian Ministry of Defence and Indian Defence Secretary signed a Memorandum of Understanding on United Nations Linkages, which would allow both armed forces to gain from each other’s’ experience and enhance their interoperability in conduct of operations under the United Nations mandate.

India has a defence force of more than 1.2 million, which is complemented by its home-grown defence industry, making it a tremendous force to reckon with. India enjoys old cultural ties with region and under Prime Minister Narender Modi’s “Act East Policy”, India is taking concrete steps towards cementing its relations both individually and collectively with all ASEAN countries.

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