Anwar Ibrahim and Tarique Rahman agree to operationalise defence cooperation MoU, enhancing military science and industry partnership
PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia and Bangladesh committed to fully operationalising the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Defence Cooperation to broaden strategic collaboration in military science, technical expertise, and defence industry partnerships.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman commended the excellent, longstanding ties in defence cooperation, anchored by regular high-level military visits, personnel training programmes and goodwill naval port calls.
“Both leaders committed to fully operationalizing the MoU on Defence Cooperation to broaden strategic collaboration in military science, technical expertise, and defence industry partnerships.
“They looked forward to the convening of the bilateral Joint Committee on Defence Cooperation (JCDC) to chart a structured defence roadmap,” according to a joint statement issued by the Foreign Ministry on the occasion of the official visit of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh to Malaysia here today.
The joint statement said both leaders underscored the importance of enhancing defence capacity and capability through courses and training programmes, including mutual seat allocations at their respective National Defence Colleges and Command and Staff Colleges.
“They further reaffirmed their commitment to supporting United Nations peacekeeping operations through joint tactical exercises, pre-deployment training collaboration, and the exchange of expertise and knowledge to address an increasingly complex global security environment,” it said.
Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation in preventing and combating terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations through intelligence sharing, information exchange, capacity-building initiatives, training programmes, and the sharing of best practices.
Meanwhile, the joint statement said both leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation in the field of education, including through University-to-University partnerships and joint research programs, focusing on technical and vocational education (TVET).
They also recognised the presence of around 11,000 Bangladeshi students in Malaysia and their positive contribution to academic exchange and socio-economic linkages between Bangladesh and Malaysia, as well as the value they bring upon returning to Bangladesh.
“Both sides emphasised expanding mutually recognised qualifications, joint degree programmes and flexible learning pathways. The leaders also stressed the importance of aligning academic programmes with labour market needs and priority sectors in both countries, with particular focus on graduate mobility and skills development,” it said.
They also expressed optimism about expanding tourism cooperation, particularly in conjunction with the ‘Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) and ‘Malaysia Year of Medical Tourism 2026’ (MYMT2026) campaigns.
“Malaysia extended a warm welcome to Bangladeshi travellers, and the leaders agreed to enhance tourism promotion and cultural exchanges between the two countries,” the joint statement read.
