Apriza Pinandita, Jakarta – Indonesian and Malaysian defense ministers have expressed their commitment to deepening defense ties between the two countries, highlighting the importance of expanding cooperation based on the shared interests of both parties during a virtual meeting on Monday.
Malaysian Defense Minister Ismail Sabri Yakoob engaged in a video conference with his Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto, on the occasion of which both ministers acknowledged the longstanding ties between the neighboring nations, said Kuala Lumpur in a statement on Monday.
YB Dato' Sri @IsmailSabri60 telah mengadakan sidang video bersama TYT Prabowo Subianto, Menteri Pertahanan Republik Indonesia hari ini.
Dalam perbincangan tersebut, kedua-dua Menteri memperakui hubungan dua hala yang telah sekian lama terjalin antara Malaysia dan Indonesia. pic.twitter.com/bUqrsBxXB8 – MINDEF Malaysia (@MINDEFMalaysia) June 16, 2020
"They had an open and wide-ranging discussion that reflected the strength of the relationship. The defense ties between Malaysia and Indonesia have seen excellent progress under the ambit of the General Border Committee [GBC] which was established in 1972."
"The defense relations have also been strengthened through subregional initiatives, namely the Malacca Straits Patrol [MSP] and the Trilateral Cooperative Arrangement [TCA], together with the Philippines," the Malaysian defense ministry was quoted as saying by the country's state news agency, Bernama, on Monday.
Separately, Indonesian Defense Ministry spokesman Dahnil Anzar Simajuntak confirmed the discussion was held by the two counterparts, saying that "the courtesy call was made [by Prabowo] to congratulate the appointment of Yakoob as defense minister and to continue talks on a bilateral defense cooperation that has been implemented until now".
Late last year, Prabowo flew to Kuala Lumpur to meet with his counterpart, then-defense minister Mohammad Bin Sabu, to discuss strengthening cooperation in defense training and defense industry development, tribunnews.com reported.
The then-Malaysian defense minister paid a reciprocal visit to Jakarta to meet with Prabowo in January. During the meeting, they talked about strategic issues development.