4 days ago
- Business
- New Straits Times
Malaysia, Turkiye reaffirm commitment to defence ties
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia and Türkiye have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral defence ties following Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin's official three-day visit to the 17th International Defence Industry Fair (IDEF 2025) in Istanbul.
The Defence Ministry, in a statement today, said Khaled, who led the Malaysian delegation from July 23, held a series of high-level meetings aimed at deepening military cooperation, technology sharing, and joint industrial efforts.
"Among his key engagements was a courtesy call on Prof Haluk Görgün, Türkiye's Defence Industries Agency (SSB) president, where he was briefed on the SSB's pivotal role in developing Türkiye's defence sector into one of the world's leading players," it said.
The ministry said Khaled also witnessed the handing over of participation contracts to Malaysian firms involved in the upcoming Defence Services Asia (DSA) 2026 exhibition, scheduled at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (Mitec) here from April 20 to 23.
"Khaled then held a bilateral meeting with Azerbaijan's Minister of Defence Industry, Yugar Mustafayev, where both sides discussed opportunities for collaboration in defence technology, military training, and the exchange of expertise."
The ministry said the meeting also marked efforts to expand strategic defence partnerships between Malaysia and Azerbaijan.
The Minister also met Türkiye's National Defence Minister, Yaşar Güler, who agreed to further elevate military-to-military cooperation, including joint capacity-building, information exchange, and collaboration in defence science and technology with Malaysia.
On the second day of the visit, Khaled visited the Istanbul Shipyard to inspect progress on the Littoral Mission Ship Batch 2 (LMSB2) being built for the Royal Malaysian Navy.
"The vessel is expected to be launched in mid-2026 and delivered by the end of 2027. Once commissioned, it will bolster the country's maritime defence and coastal surveillance operations," it read, adding that the entourage also visited defence companies including Turkish Aerospace Industries (Tusas), Aselsan, Dasal, Otokar, Ctech, Asfat, Ares Shipyard and Esen.
The visit, part of Malaysia's strategic defence diplomacy agenda, reflects the government's continued efforts to build credible international partnerships under the Defence White Paper's third pillar of cooperation, 'Credible Partnerships'.
These engagements underscore Malaysia's position in enhancing global defence cooperation to ensure national security and regional stability.
