JAKARTA: Indonesian president-elect Prabowo Subianto has expressed optimism about the future of defence collaboration between Indonesia and Malaysia, building on the momentum established following the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Aug 9, 2022.
Prabowo, Indonesia's current Defence Minister, in a statement released by the Defence Ministry following his visit to Malaysia, said the agreement is set to bolster cooperation in the defence industry, education, operations, and training.
He highlighted that both nations have long benefitted from mutual training programmes, with over 500 Indonesian personnel trained in Malaysia since 1967 and more than 200 Malaysian personnel receiving training in Indonesia since 1970.
On his meeting with Malaysia's Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, Prabowo, according to the statement, expressed his gratitude for the constructive discussions that took place during the meeting.
"I reaffirm the Indonesian Ministry of Defence's commitment to fostering a harmonious and mutually beneficial bilateral defence relationship," he added.
Both leaders also discussed their commitment to ensuring the continued success of bilateral cooperation, aiming to align it with the broader strengthening of Indonesia-Malaysia relations across multiple sectors.
Prabowo's visit to Malaysia was his second since being officially declared the winner of the 2024 Presidential Election in March.
He is set to succeed President Joko Widodo on Oct 20.