Senior Defense Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein with his counterpart Mohammed Ahmed Al Bowardi, UAE Minister of State for Defense Affairs, at the UAE Ministry of Defense headquarters, United Arab Emirates, September 20, 2022. — Image by Facebook/Hishammuddin Hussein
Tuesday, September 20, 2022 7:19 PM MYT
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept. 20 (Reuters) – Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have agreed to further strengthen bilateral ties, particularly in the defense sector, Senior Defense Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said.
Hishammuddin, who is in the UAE on an official visit, said both countries agreed that this should be investigated as much as possible in order to raise Malaysia-UAE defense cooperation to a higher level.
“This includes sharing Malaysia’s and the UAE’s experience and expertise in keeping people safe,” he said in a statement today after meeting UAE President Sheikh Mohamed Bin in Qasr Al Zayed Al Nahyan who is also ruler of Abu Dhabi had held Shati Palace.
Hishammuddin said that in his meeting with Sheikh Mohamed, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the UAE Armed Forces, they also discussed the need to increase understanding based on the values of unity and tolerance, particularly through the establishment of the Sheikh -Zayed Chair at the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) in synthesis with the long-established Tun Hussein Onn Chair.
“The establishment of the Sheikh Zayed Chair was agreed when I was previously Secretary of State. We believe that the holders of these two chairs need to work together to promote unity and skills, especially by sharing the values of Sheikh Zayed and Tun Hussein Onn,” he said.
Hishammuddin said he and Sheikh Mohamed agreed that these efforts are important in understanding that harmony, tolerance and unity are the basis for a country’s success.
He added that he and Sheikh Mohamed also took the opportunity to express their appreciation for their respective governments’ commitment to ensure that Malaysia-UAE relations remain favorable and to exchange views on several regional and international issues exchange.
Meanwhile, Hishammuddin said that he also received honor guards from all three branches of the UAE Armed Forces during his meeting with UAE Defense Minister Mohammed Ahmed Al Bowardi at the UAE Defense Ministry headquarters.
He said that during the bilateral meeting with his counterpart, they came to several important agreements, including conducting joint bilateral training between the Malaysian Armed Forces and the UAE Armed Forces, involving the armies of Malaysia and the UAE.
“Furthermore, we will also increase military officer exchanges and training between both forces and military-to-military engagement at the highest level.
“This matter was also agreed by Malaysian Defense Forces Chief and UAE Armed Forces Chief of Staff Hamad Mohammed Thani al-Rumaithi. Both countries also agreed on defense industry cooperation, particularly in relation to Malaysia’s National Defense and Security Industry Policy (DIPKN).
Hishammuddin said he also invited Mohammed Ahmed Al Bowardi to attend the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (Lima) which would be held May 23-27, 2023.
The Malaysian delegation included Secretary General of the Ministry of Defense (Mindef), Datuk Seri Muez Abd Aziz; Malaysian Defense Forces Chief General Tan Sri Affendi Buang; and Army Chief General Tan Sri Zamrose Mohd Zain. — Bernama
