Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said that the current agreement with Türkiye should be upgraded to cover military aspects such as sharing intelligence on terrorism, regional tensions and security issues.

ISTANBUL (June 12): Malaysia and Türkiye have agreed to establish a comprehensive defence cooperation agreement and share various military and defence aspects to enhance the capabilities of their respective armed forces.

Malaysian Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said that previously, military relations between the two countries were based solely on agreements for military training and defence industry cooperation.

He said that the current agreement should be upgraded to cover military aspects such as sharing intelligence on terrorism, regional tensions and security issues.

“It is seen as necessary for us to have accurate information about the situation in this region [Europe] so that we can make appropriate stances and decisions on certain issues, and Türkiye also needs to be aware of the situation in Asean, which is a major trade route,” he told a press conference here on Wednesday.

The agreement to establish this defence cooperation was reached following a four-eyed meeting between Mohamed Khaled and Türkiye’s Defence Minister Yasar Guler during an official visit to the republics's Ministry of National Defence (MoND) in Ankara on Tuesday.

This is Mohamed Khaled’s first official working visit to Türkiye since being appointed defence minister on Dec 12 last year.

Elaborating further, Mohamed Khaled noted that during the meeting, the two countries also discussed the situation in their respective regions, with Türkiye respecting Malaysia and Asean's stance of neutrality and Malaysia taking note of the challenges Türkiye faces at its borders.

“The discussions also touched on issues involving Palestine and Gaza, with both countries agreeing on the need for an immediate ceasefire and no obstacles or disruptions to humanitarian aid there.

“In addition, I also requested that all procurements finalised with Türkiye, including three medium altitude long endurance unmanned aerial systems [MALE UAS] and three littoral mission ships (LMS), be carried out as scheduled,” he said.

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