Rajnath Singh reviews defence relationship with Malaysian counterpart
Jun 27, 2022
New Delhi [India], June 27 : Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held talks with his Malaysian counterpart Hishamuddin bin Hussein via video conference on Monday where they reaffirmed the strong defence relationship between New Delhi and Kuala Lumpur and discussed opportunities to deepen their defence cooperation.
"Had a wonderful interaction with Malaysia's Senior Defence Minister, Mr Hishamuddin bin Hussein, via video conference. We reaffirmed the strong defence relations between India and Malaysia and discussed opportunities for both countries to further deepen our defence cooperation," Singh said in a tweet.
Earlier, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held bilateral talks with his Malaysian counterpart Saifuddin Abdullah on the sidelines of the ASEAN-India summit where they exchanged an agreement to mutually recognize the COVID-19 vaccination certificates and discussed bilateral relations, cooperation in key sectors and people-to-people ties.
The meeting between Jaishankar and Abdullah coincided with the Delhi Dialogue and Special India ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting that took place in New Delhi on June 16-17.
Malaysian Foreign Minister had previously said the unique features of India combined with ASEAN countries can help strengthen the partnership between the two regions.
Addressing the Ministerial Session of Delhi Dialogue, he said both sides will resolve to strengthen and widen strategic partnerships including on the ASEAN outlook on the Indo-Pacific.
Notably, the year 2022 marks 65 years of establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Malaysia.
India and Malaysia share close relations anchored in vibrant people-to-people linkages, shared history and well-established trade relations. Both countries enjoy robust trade relations with bilateral trade at USD 14.45 billion for the year 2020-21. Cooperation in defence and security has become an important pillar of India-Malaysia bilateral cooperation.
Earlier, in the month of April, Saurabh Kumar, Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs, together with Dato' Amran Bin Mohamed Zin, Deputy Secretary-General for Bilateral Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Malaysia co-chaired the 5th Foreign Office Consultations (bilateral consultations) between India and Malaysia on 12 April 2022 at Putrajaya, Malaysia.
Reviewing the multi-faceted relations between India and Malaysia during the Foreign Office Consultations, both sides expressed their desire to advance the overall bilateral relations within the framework of the Enhanced Strategic Partnership of 2015. The Foreign Office Consultations provided an opportunity to review the entire gamut of bilateral relations and exchange views on contemporary regional and global issues of mutual interest.
