Article Posted on : - Jun 28, 2022

NEW DELHI (PTI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh interacted with his Malaysian counterpart Hishamuddin bin Hussein virtually on Monday to deepen defence cooperation between the two countries.

"Had a wonderful interaction with Malaysia's Senior Defence Minister, Mr Hishamuddin bin Hussein, via video conference," Rajnath Singh said on Twitter.

He reaffirmed the strong defence relations between India and Malaysia and discussed opportunities for both countries "to further deepen our defence cooperation".

The Defence Ministry's statement said that during the meeting, Singh highlighted the areas in which the Indian defence industry could assist Malaysia.

Singh 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, it noted.

Hussein expressed the need for inducting women personnel in peace keeping missions, according to the statement.

"Both sides agreed to engage each other on this issue. It was also agreed to upgrade capability for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations," it said.

The next Malaysia India Defence Cooperation Meeting (MIDCOM) is scheduled to be held in July 2022, and it was decided to use this platform for a deeper engagement in defence, the statement added.

On June 17, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had held talks with his Malaysian counterpart Saifuddin Abdullah with an aim to take forward the bilateral strategic partnership.