KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia recognises India's increasing interest in defence collaborations within Asean but emphasised that decisions must be made collectively with other member states.
"We are aware that our region is the focus of many countries, including India. There are many requests from India to establish a stronger presence in our area," said Defence Minister Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin at the 4th Mini Defence Expo Cum Defense Industry Symposium hosted by the Indian High Commission today.
The event was attended by Indian High Commissioner to Malaysia, His Excellency B.N. Reddy, along with representatives from several Asean embassies, including Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, and the Philippines.
Khaled highlighted India's ongoing role in Asean's multilateral platforms, particularly the Asean Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus), where Malaysia and India co-chair the Expert Working Group on Counter-Terrorism for the 2024-2027 cycle.
"As far as Malaysia is concerned, we have no problem with India's presence because we are part of Asean," Khaled affirmed. However, he reminded that while Malaysia holds the Asean chairmanship for 2025, decisions in the bloc must be made by consensus.
"Asean has an agreement that everything must be done by consensus. We want to accommodate you, but we must rely on the other Asean countries. Your Excellency, you know our position," he said. "But we cannot decide it alone," Khaled concluded.
Representatives from Malaysian and Indian defence firms, such as Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), and Kalyani Strategic Systems, presented at the event.
As Malaysia assumes the Asean chairmanship this year, it seeks to foster a platform for constructive and forward-thinking defense discussions with its strategic partners, aiming to tackle global security challenges.
In November last year, Khaled said that this approach is part of the bloc's efforts to address increasingly challenging geopolitical, security and defence issues at the global level.
In Feb ] 2024, Reddy said the country was seeking to enhance its bilateral relations with Malaysia via the collaboration of the defence industry sector.
He 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.