JAKARTA, Feb 21 — Malaysian Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan made a call on his Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto at the country’s Ministry of Defence building complex, here today.

Various aspects of bilateral co-operation were discussed by both ministers, which were termed as ‘productive’ by Malaysia’s Defence Ministry in a statement.

"Both ministers had a very productive discussion to enhance defence cooperation through various bilateral and multilateral platforms.

"The defence tie between Malaysia and Indonesia has seen excellent progress under the ambit of the General Border Committee that was established in 1972, especially between the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) and the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI),” the statement read.

Bilaterally, the relations include border cooperation, defence industry cooperation and military activities particularly exercises, trainings and exchange of personnel noted the ministry.

In fact, it has also strengthened through subregional initiatives namely the Malacca Straits Patrol (MSP) and the Trilateral Cooperative Arrangements (TCA).

During the meeting, both ministers reiterated their shared commitment to constructively and progressively strengthen cooperation following the signing of Memorandum of Understanding on Defence Cooperation between the two countries on Aug 9 last year.

"Ministers firmly believed that strong cooperation between the two countries will ensure effective implementation of all forthcoming activities,” according to the ministry.

Mohamad also extended the invitation for Prabowo to visit the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition 2023 (LIMA ‘23), which will be held from May 23-27 this year.

Earlier, Mohamad arrived at 1pm local time for the welcoming ceremony, where he was greeted by Prabowo in conjunction with his one-day working visit to the republic.

The national anthem of the two countries were played in honour of the visit of the high-ranking guest with full military ceremonies.

Mohamad, popularly known as ‘Tok Mat’ took the salute accorded by Indonesian National Armed Forces before inspecting the Guard of Honour accompanied by Prabowo.

He then convened a closed door meeting with Prabowo, which is also their first meeting since the appointment of Mohamad as defence minister last December under the unity government led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Also present were Charge d’Affaires of the Malaysian embassy in Jakarta, Adlan Mohd Shaffieq and Chief of Defence Force General Tan Sri Affendi Buang, ministry’s senior officers and ATM representative.

The ministry pointed out that both countries share a close bilateral relationship and Mohamad’s visit to Indonesia is a vital step to further strengthen the existing bond of diplomacy and friendship.

"Defence diplomacy especially within the region is in line with the Credible Partnership Pillar in the national defence strategy, as outlined in the Defence White Paper.

"It is to strengthen and expand defence cooperation to ensure that Malaysia continues to contribute to regional development and stability,” the ministry added. — Bernama