KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 1 — The government is considering the establishment of a programme to bring together universities or defence training institutes across Southeast Asian countries to organise relevant activities in conjunction with Malaysia’s Chairmanship of ASEAN next year.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the programme could be held alongside the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting (ADMM), which will be chaired by Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.

"Perhaps in conjunction with the defence ministers meeting, a programme could be organised between universities or defence institutes to involve students, giving them good exposure; we might even bring one or two other defence ministers to these universities for added exposure,” he said.

He said this during the ‘Temu Anwar’ programme at the Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (UPNM) here today.

The Prime Minister said that expectations for Malaysia’s chairmanship of ASEAN are high, with several major meetings set to take place next year, including the ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit.

Malaysia will officially assume the Chair of ASEAN on Jan 1, 2025. — Bernama