met with Malaysian Defence
Minister Dato’ Seri Utama Haji Mohamad bin Haji Hasan on 28 March
in Kuala Lumpur. Congratulating the minister on his appointment
in December, they discussed the deepening of bilateral
cooperation and Defence ties through Five Power Defence
Arrangements.
Reinforcing the UK’s commitment to the region, the ministers also
discussed the UK’s recent Integrated Review
Refresh and how the AUKUS agreementwill
support regional stability.
Malaysia and the UK are both members of the Five Powers Defence
Arrangements (FPDA), now in its 52nd
year. Founded in 1971, the FPDA is a series of
agreements between Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore
and the UK, with the group seeking to strengthen defence and
security in the Indo-Pacific and work together to promote
stability in the region.
also visited the
FPDA’s
military headquarters at RMAF Butterworth in Penang - the
Headquarters Integrated Area Defence System (HQIADS).
During her visit she met with UK personnel deployed there,
discussing the FPDA and our common
ambitions.
Following her visit to HQIADS, the
Minister paid her respects to all those fallen, laying a wreath
at the Commonwealth War Grave Commission (CWGC) Cemetery in
Taiping. The CWGC work tirelessly to maintain cemeteries around
the world to ensure that the fallen will always be appropriately
remembered.
also visited Sapura Group,
in support of their UK partner TriCIS, where a wide range of
issues were addressed. This afforded a stimulating, insightful
and very enjoyable exchange of views on cyber communications and
security.
UK Defence Minister, , said:
I am delighted to have visited Malaysia and have the great
privilege to meet Malaysia Defence Minister Dato’ Seri Utama Haji
Moohamad bin Haji Hasan. During my visit we discussed our strong
defence partnership and the ambition for the UK and Malaysia to
collaborate further in support of regional peace and security.
discussed the UK’s enduring
commitment to the Indo-Pacific and regional peace and security
during her visit. The UK government looks forward to further
strengthening ties with Malaysia.
