Rajnath holds talks With Malaysian counterpart on strengthening defence cooperation

New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh discussed a wide range of issues including bilateral, regional and defence industrial cooperation with Malaysian counterpart Hishamuddin bin Hussein on Sunday.

During a video conference, Rajnath Singh congratulated Dato 'Seri HishammuddinTun Hussein for assuming the office of the Senior Defence Minister in August last year, an official statement issued by the Ministry of Defence read. Both Ministers expressed the intent to further boost the already strong India-Malaysia Defence cooperation.
The two Ministers discussed the existing defence cooperation activities and framework, and ways to further enhance them under the existing Malaysia-India Defence Cooperation Meeting (MIDCOM) framework.
According to the statement, the next MIDCOM is scheduled to be held in July this year, and it was decided to use this platform for a deeper engagement in defence.

Rajnath Singh during the video conference highlighted the areas in which Indian Defence industries could assist Malaysia.
He suggested a visit of senior officers from Malaysia to India to get a first-hand experience of the facilities and products of Indian Defence industry.

The Malaysian Senior Defence Minister expressed the need for inducting women personnel in peace keeping missions. Both sides agreed to engage each other on this issue. It was also agreed to upgrade capability for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations.

Defence Minister also invited Senior Defence Minister of Malaysia to visit India at an early convenient date to discuss closer and strategic defence ties, as per the statement. (ANI)