The Impressive TimesNew Delhi, Feb 19 ,2025 : The 13th Malaysia-India Defence Cooperation Committee (MIDCOM) meeting convened in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, where both nations explored avenues to strengthen their partnership, focusing on the defence industry, maritime security, and multilateral cooperation.
Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and Malaysia’s Defence Ministry Secretary General Lokman Hakim Bin Ali co-chaired the meeting, according to a statement from India’s Defence Ministry. Both sides expressed satisfaction with the growing defence collaboration, highlighting the regular interactions between their Armed Forces in recent years.
Discussions covered a wide range of practical and impactful initiatives aimed at expanding bilateral defence ties. Regional and global issues were also addressed, with a particular emphasis on enhancing cooperation in emerging domains such as cyber security and artificial intelligence. Notably, both countries agreed to establish a joint focus group to tackle non-traditional maritime security challenges.
India and Malaysia reaffirmed their commitment to fully implement new initiatives under the defence pillar of their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Malaysian counterpart Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim during the latter’s visit to India in August 2024.
As a key outcome of MIDCOM, both sides exchanged the finalised Terms of Reference (ToR) for creating a strategic affairs working group. This forum will act as an intermediary consultative mechanism between MIDCOM and its sub-committees to advance all aspects of bilateral defence cooperation. Additionally, they exchanged the ToR for setting up a Su-30 forum.
Defence Secretary Singh highlighted the Indian defence sector’s capabilities and its potential for collaboration with Malaysian companies and the Armed Forces, particularly in capability enhancement and modernisation efforts.
Congratulating Malaysia on assuming the ASEAN chairmanship and the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus), Singh conveyed India’s support for Malaysia’s efforts to strengthen regional security and unity. He reiterated India’s commitment to ASEAN centrality, an integral component of India’s Indo-Pacific Vision.
India views Malaysia as a vital partner in the Indo-Pacific region, with Malaysia positioned at the intersection of three pivotal foreign policy frameworks: the Act East Policy, SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region), and the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative. This strategic alignment underscores the importance of the India-Malaysia partnership in shaping a stable, unified, and prosperous regional order.
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