MALAYSIA, GERMANY EXPRESS COMMITMENT TO STRENGTHEN DEFENCE TIES

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 3 (Bernama) -- Malaysia and Germany have expressed their commitment to continuing to strengthen bilateral defence ties, which have been developing positively, to elevate defence cooperation to a more strategic level.

The commitment was among the matters discussed during a courtesy call by the German Ambassador to Malaysia, Silke Riecken-Daerr, on Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin here today.

In a post on X, Mohamed Khaled said that during the meeting, he and the German ambassador also discussed plans to finalise the Joint Declaration of Intent (JDOI) on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference (MSC) 2026, scheduled to take place in mid-February.

According to the post, discussions also touched on defence industry cooperation with Germany in line with the National Defence Industry Policy (DIPN) launched last month, as well as Germany’s support for Malaysia’s defence through the Enable and Enhance (E&E) Initiative.

The E&E is a security assistance initiative by the German government aimed at helping strategic partners enhance their military and security capabilities, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region.

“The implementation of the E&E Initiative, which began in 2024, includes a proposal to upgrade army training facilities. Discussions also covered the involvement of the German defence industry in the Defence Services Asia (DSA) 2026 exhibition,” he said.

Mohamed Khaled said the meeting between him and the German ambassador also reflected the shared commitment of Malaysia and Germany to strengthening regional security, capacity-building and a sustainable defence ecosystem for mutual benefit.

-- BERNAMA