Indonesia commits to strengthening defense cooperation with Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR: Indonesia has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening defense cooperation with Malaysia following an important meeting between its Defense Minister, Prabowo Subianto, and the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Ibrahim, in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

According to Bernama, the Indonesian Ministry of Defense stated that Prabowo focused on fostering a strong and lasting relationship between the two countries and expressed his confidence in further enhancing this cooperation.

“I value the close relationship between our two countries and will continue to work towards enhancing our collaboration, particularly in the field of defense.

“I appreciate the positive outlook of His Majesty and hope that our partnership will continue to grow for our mutual benefit,” said Prabowo.

The hour-long discussion also covered the Malaysia-Indonesia General Border Committee (GBC), with Indonesia anticipating that the upcoming 44th GBC meeting will strengthen commitment and enhance security, stability, and prosperity in the region.

Prabowo, who has had a long-standing friendship with His Majesty since over 40 years ago during their joint military training at Fort Bragg, USA, praised Malaysia for its warm hospitality and emphasized the importance of ongoing strategic cooperation.

Scheduled to succeed President Joko Widodo on October 20, Prabowo’s visit to Malaysia is part of a series of official visits to Brunei, Laos, and Cambodia.

He also made an unofficial visit to Thailand to meet with former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his daughter Paetongtarn, who is the new Prime Minister of Thailand.