India and Malaysia to strengthen defence cooperation

India and Malaysia have agreed to strengthen their defence cooperation, including improved maritime security and disaster response in the region.

“I am pleased that we have agreed to upgrade our joint exercises and set up the SU-30 Forum. We will do more in terms of level and complexity of exercises, and collaboration in training and defence equipment,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at the end of his three-day visit to Kuala Lumpur.

Besides agreeing to regular summits, ministerial dialogues and official meetings, the two countries have agreed to cooperate in cybersecurity. “As our lives get more networked, this is emerging as one of the most serious concerns of our age,” Mr. Modi pointed out.

Stating that the two back-to-back airline tragedies could sap the morale of any nation, he commended the Malaysian Prime Minister for his leadership and the resolve and resilience of the Malaysian people.

“I am particularly grateful to you for our security cooperation. It underlines our shared commitment to deal with our security challenges. We will continue to deepen our cooperation in this area,” Mr. Modi told his Malaysian counterpart.

Raising the issue of terrorism, the Prime Minister said the recent attacks in different countries were a reminder of the global nature of this threat. In this context, he said Malaysia had provided leadership in combating extremism and radicalisation, rejecting any link between terrorism and religion, and in highlighting the real values of Islam.

Mr. Modi reiterated that the trade and investment relations between the two countries could be scaled up significantly. India and Malaysia have signed three memoranda of understanding on Monday pertaining to cybersecurity, cooperation in management, delivery and monitoring of government programmes and cultural exchanges.

Source :- The Hindu, 24-Nov-2015