NEW DELHI: On Tuesday, India and Malaysia agreed to strengthen the collaboration in counter-terrorism, cyber security, maritime security, and defense during the inaugural security dialogue.
The dialogue was a key outcome of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s recent visit to New Delhi.
The two countries have expanded their defence and security ties in recent years through various bilateral agreements, mechanisms, and joint military exercises aimed at enhancing interoperability between their armed forces.
During Anwar's visit in last August, India and Malaysia upgraded their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
The first India-Malaysia security dialogue, held in New Delhi, was co-chaired by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Raja Dato Nushirwan Bin Zainal Abidin, director-general of Malaysia’s National Security Council.
“The two sides agreed to deepen cooperation in counter-terrorism and deradicalisation, cyber security, the defence, and maritime security,” the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.
The two countries also explored ways to enhance collaboration on critical minerals and rare earth besides agreeing to institutionalise the dialogue by holding annual meetings.
Anwar's visit was viewed as a chance to reset bilateral relations, which had been strained under former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.
His tenure had been marked by tensions due to his criticism of India's decisions to revoke Jammu and Kashmir’s special status in 2019 and implement the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in 2020.