India-Malaysia will jointly combat maritime security and other threats, 'Joint Focus Group' will be formed

India and Malaysia informed that the 'Joint Focus Group' will be set up for the management of security issues including the security of the oceans. Both countries will strengthen defense relations under this, especially in the areas of ocean security, cyber security, and AI. This has been communicated by the Defense Ministry on Wednesday.

The 13th Malaysia-India Defense Cooperation Committee (MIDCOM) meeting was held here today, where the defense secretary, Rajesh Kumar Singh, and the secretary general for the defense ministry of Malaysia, Lokman Hakim Bin Ali, chaired the gathering.

The Defense Ministry said in a statement, that in the meeting, both sides discussed measures to further strengthen bilateral defense cooperation and discussed regional and global issues. In addition, the two countries agreed to form a 'Joint Focus Group' to address non-traditional threats to maritime security.

The two countries also agreed to further enhance cooperation between India-Malaysia defense industries and establish a Sukhoi-30 Forum to better maintain and coordinate the Sukhoi-30 aircraft between the two air forces.

Rajesh Kumar Singh highlighted the capabilities of India's defense industry and emphasized collaboration between Indian companies and Malaysian armed forces to further the common efforts with Malaysia. He also congratulated Malaysia on assuming the chairmanship of ASEAN and assured India's support.