KUALA LUMPUR: India is seeking to enhance its bilateral relations with Malaysia via the collaboration of the defence industry sector.
Its High Commissioner to Malaysia, B.N. Reddy said this comes at the right time owing to the Malaysia-India Defence Cooperation, which has already entered its fourth decade and the strengthening of the Indian defence industry.
"Apart from having the engagement among the three services of the armed forces- army, navy and air force (through the defence cooperation), we are also looking at engaging in the defence industrial sector.
"This is due to the Indian defence industry, in the last decade, having developed a position where we can export to other countries."
Owing to this, Reddy said, such collaboration between the countries' defence industries could be beneficial as there are common assets that are in service between Malaysia and India.
"In the air force, Malaysia has the Sukhoi fighter jet platform, likewise, we have it too where we have been manufacturing around 280 Sukhois so far with the arrangement with the Russian counterparts under the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
"Likewise on the naval side, Malaysia has its fleet of Scorpene submarines and India has six which were produced domestically under the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd.
"Hence, we see a synergy that could come out of this," he told reporters at the India-Malaysia Defence Industrial Cooperation Mini Defence Expo and Defence Industry Symposium, here.
Also present was the Defence Ministry's secretary-general Datuk Seri Isham Ishak.
Isham in his speech, said the country is open to receiving expertise from India, especially in the realms of new technologies such as cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) industry sector, particularly for the parts of the Scorpene submarines.
"These are the areas where we understand that India has expertise not only in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence but in manufacturing the parts for building the Scorpenes.
"Hence, these are areas where I think we could further collaborate with India as it was one of my challenges in the last five months in the ministry where I had to ensure that our equipment is always ready for action."