Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin in UAE to sign an MoU strengthening strategic defence ties
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are set to formalise a new defence cooperation framework, with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) scheduled to be signed during Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin’s two-day working visit to the Gulf nation.
Khaled arrived in Dubai late last night and held a pre-council session with ministry officials to review preparations for the visit.
“As part of this visit, I am scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with the UAE State for Defence Affairs minister, His Excellency Mohamed Mubarak Fadhel AlMazrouei, at the UAE Ministry of Defence in Abu Dhabi.
“In addition, a MoU in the field of defence between Malaysia and the UAE is also scheduled to be signed, as a step to strengthen strategic cooperation between the two friendly nations.”
Details of the agreement have yet to be released, but it forms part of the minister’s broader itinerary to “open new avenues of cooperation” that will benefit both nations.
Khaled last met the UAE’s defence leadership on Sept 11 last year during the Seoul Defence Dialogue, where he held a bilateral meeting with Mohamed Mubarak Fadhil Al Mazrouei.
After the session, he told Malaysian media that the discussion focused on strengthening existing defence relations between Kuala Lumpur and Abu Dhabi, and that they examined ways to enhance military-to-military relations between Malaysia and the UAE.
He added then that Malaysia prioritises the bilateral military cooperation that has been established earlier.
More recently, on Sept 29 this year, Khaled undertook a two-day official visit to Qatar, arriving in Doha where he was received by senior defence representatives including Emiri Air Force Commander Maj Gen Mohamed Al Dosari, Malaysia’s Ambassador to Qatar Fazial Razali and Malaysia’s Defence Attaché in Ankara Col Edafi Daud.
His programme included a courtesy call on Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs Sheikh Saoud Abdulrahman Hassan Ali Al Thani, followed by an official visit to Barzan Holdings to witness the signing of a defence cooperation MoU between Malaysian company Ingress Corporation Bhd and Barzan Holdings.
