Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met Prime Minister of Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim on Monday in Kuala Lumpur and held talks with his Malaysian counterpart Mohamad Hasan. Both sides discussed ways to further deepen bilateral defence ties and engagements. The bilateral talks were held during Rajnath Singh’s three-day visit which is aimed at further boosting defence and strategic ties between both the nations. The Defence Minister also unveiled the bust of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in Kuala Lumpur.
"Netaji and the INA have an important legacy in Malaysia. An icon of bravery, leadership, and patriotism, Netaji continues to inspire generations in India and Malaysia," he tweeted.
In another tweet, Singh said he deeply appreciates Ibrahim’s positive approach and interest towards further deepening India-Malaysia bilateral relations. Commenting on the trip, the Union defence ministry said that Singh and Hasan will review defence cooperation between the two countries and explore new initiatives to further strengthen the engagements.
In a separate tweet, Rajnath Singh also mentioned that he had an excellent meeting with the Defence Minister of Malaysia Mohamad Hasan in Kuala Lumpur. He highlighted that they reviewed the diverse pillars of the extensive bilateral defence engagement and discussed the roadmap for the 4th Decade of India-Malaysia Defence Cooperation.
The Minister also said he had a fruitful meeting with the Foreign Minister of Malaysia H.E. Dr Zambry Adbul Kadir where they discussed a wide range of issues of mutual interest aimed at further strengthening the India-Malaysia Enhanced Strategic Partnership.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defence, in its official release stated, "India and Malaysia have a common interest in peace and prosperity of the entire region. The two democracies have a robust and multifaceted relationship which has expanded into several strategic areas, including defence and security.”
The Ministry further said both countries are committed to working under the vision of enhanced strategic partnership established during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Malaysia in 2015.
Meanwhile, Malaysia is among a handful of countries showing keen interest in procuring India's indigenously developed Tejas aircraft. Tejas is a single-engine multi-role fighter aircraft capable of operating in high-threat air environments.