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India, Malaysia to boost cooperation in counter-terrorism, maritime security
The agreement at the first India-Malaysia security dialogue in New Delhi is an outcome of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s visit to India in last August that saw the two countries elevating their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership
New Delhi: India and Malaysia agreed on Tuesday to enhance cooperation in counter-terrorism, cyber and maritime security and defence industry during their first security dialogue, an outcome of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s recent visit to New Delhi.
The two sides have built on defence and security cooperation in recent years through several bilateral agreements and mechanisms and joint military exercises aimed at increasing inter-operability between the armed forces. Anwar’s visit last August saw the two countries elevating their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
The first India-Malaysia security dialogue in New Delhi was co-chaired by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Raja Dato Nushirwan Bin Zainal Abidin, director general of Malaysia’s National Security Council. The two sides exchanged views on the global and regional security environment and reviewed bilateral cooperation in the security, defence and maritime fields.
“The two sides agreed to deepen cooperation in counter-terrorism and deradicalisation; cyber security; defence industry; and maritime security,” the external affairs ministry said in a readout after the meeting. India and Malaysia also explored ways to enhance cooperation in critical minerals and rare earths.
The two sides further agreed to institutionalise the dialogue by holding annual meetings, the readout said, noting that the mechanism was an outcome of Anwar’s visit to India last August. Besides elevating the relationship to a higher level, Anwar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had agreed to strengthen bilateral security cooperation.
Anwar’s visit was seen as an opportunity to reset bilateral relations following the rancour that witnessed during the tenure of former premier Mahathir Mohamad, on whose watch the ties cratered because of his criticism of New Delhi’s scrapping of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status in 2019 and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in 2020.
The two sides had discussed ways to expand cooperation in new fields such as digitalisation, defence and security during Anwar’s visit. A bilateral memorandum of understanding (MoU) finalised in 1993 forms the cornerstone of defence cooperation and allows for widening efforts to joint ventures, procurement, and logistics and maintenance support.
The first regional office of state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) was inaugurated in Kuala Lumpur during defence minister Rajnath Singh’s visit to Malaysia in 2023, and Indian warships regularly make port visits to Malaysia.
The army, navy and air force of both countries have conducted bilateral exercises, and the two sides signed an MoU on cyber security in 2015.
Malaysia has emerged as India’s 13th largest trade partner, and third largest among the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, while India figures among Malaysia’s top ten trade partners. Two-way trade has grown from $14.15 billion in 2016-17 to $19.89 billion in 2022-23.
