KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 13 — Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have signed a defence cooperation memorandum of understanding (MOU), marking yet another important milestone in bilateral strategic ties.
The MOU was signed by Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin during a bilateral meeting with UAE Defence Minister Mohamed Mubarak Fadhel AlMazrouei in Abu Dhabi recently.
Khaled said the MOU would expand the scope of defence cooperation in a comprehensive manner, in line with the aspirations of both countries to build stronger, modern and far-sighted diplomatic defence relations.
“Under this MOU, Malaysia and UAE state their joint commitment to among other things, encourage joint defence research, explore defence products and develop new capabilities for our mutual benefit.
“This MOU will also serve as an important bridge to kickstart industry engagement, especially in identifying fields of shared focus and potential high-impact projects that can be commercialised to improve the defence industry ecosystem in both countries,” he said.
Khaled has been in Abu Dhabi for a working visit since Thursday, joined by Defence Ministry (Mindef) deputy secretary-general (policy) Mohd Yani Daud, Armed Forces chief of staff Datuk Azhan Md Othman, and Mindef Policy and Strategic Planning Division undersecretary Datuk Muhammad Ammir Haron.
Khaled also said Malaysia and the UAE are committed to boosting military training coordination and expertise sharing, including joint training initiatives that can improve readiness, interoperability and capabilities of both country’s forces.
“It is hoped that the MOU will open a new chapter in Malaysia-UAE defence cooperation — stronger, complementary and peace-oriented for regional and general stability,” he said.
The UAE also acknowledged the strong ties with Malaysia and welcomed the participation of Malaysian companies to work with EDGE Group, a UAE-government owned technology and defence conglomerate, he said.
“I had the opportunity to present the country’s capabilities in semiconductor and aerospace components, which has the potential of supporting the supply chain of EDGE Group military products in the future.
“Both parties also agreed to continue to improve information sharing, human capital development, defence cooperation and development of new initiatives for our mutual benefit,” he said.
Khaled also said Malaysia received positive response to its proposal of a collaboration of training Royal Malaysian Navy officers onboard the UAE Gowind-class ships in preparation to operate Malaysian littoral combat ships (LCS) that use the same technology.
During his visit, Khaled stopped by the Malaysian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, where he was welcomed by Ambassador Tengku Datuk Sirajuzzaman Tengku Mohamed Ariffin.
“I express my appreciation to the commitment shown in improving Malaysia-UAE ties, including in the aspect of defence, which is vital to both countries.
“Besides ensuring the interest of Malaysians abroad, our embassies play a role in improving defence diplomacy and to support the national security agenda,” Khaled added.
