Malaysia, Germany continue to strengthen defence cooperation
BERLIN: Malaysia and Germany are committed to continuing to strengthen bilateral defence ties through various strategic initiatives, including cooperation agreements, military training, and capacity building in the field of security and defence technology.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the matter was among those discussed during his meeting with German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius in conjunction with the United Nations (UN) Peacekeeping Ministerial 2025 Forum held here.
"Germany and Malaysia enjoy good relations in the field of defence, and we deeply value the cooperation that has been fostered over the years. Whenever the opportunity arises, we make it a point to meet and exchange views on the current geopolitical and security landscape," he said when met here yesterday.
He also welcomed Asean's decision to accept Germany as an observer country in the Asean Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM), while hoping that the country would play a meaningful role in the regional security platform.
"Malaysia is grateful for Germany's willingness to join the ADMM as an observer and is confident that this participation will contribute to the peace and stability of the Southeast Asian region," he said.
At the meeting, Khaled said Germany also expressed its intention to sign a Letter of Intent with Malaysia to facilitate and expedite all forms of defence cooperation between the two countries.
According to him, both parties are currently discussing and finalising the document.
He also expressed appreciation for Malaysia's participation in the 'Enable and Enhance' programme, which is an initiative by Germany to help build the defence capabilities of partner countries.
"We greatly appreciate the contributions under this programme and hope that it will continue, especially by the newly formed German government," he said.
Meanwhile, he also expressed Malaysia's hope that the training opportunities for Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) pilots in the A400M simulator in Germany can continue, given that the aircraft is also used by the country.
"I also suggest that Germany consider opening up training opportunities for Malaysian military personnel in technology-related fields such as artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity, which are increasingly important in today's defence landscape," he said.
He said the meeting reflected the determination of both countries in building more sustainable defence cooperation, in line with increasingly challenging global security needs.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
36 minutes ago
- The Star
Bangladesh's Yunus announces elections in April 2026
DHAKA: Bangladesh will hold elections in early April 2026 for the first time since a mass uprising overthrew the government last year, interim leader Muhammad Yunus (pic) said Friday (June 6). The South Asian nation of around 170 million people has been in political turmoil since former prime minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted by a student-led revolt in August 2024, ending her iron-fisted rule of 15 years. "I am announcing to the citizens of the country that the election will be held on any day in the first half of April 2026," said Yunus, the 84-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner who leads the caretaker government. Political parties jostling for power have been repeatedly demanding Yunus fix an election timetable, while he has said time is needed as the country requires an overhaul of its democratic institutions after Hasina's tenure. "The government has been doing everything necessary to create an environment conducive to holding the election," he added in the television broadcast, while repeating his warning that reforms were needed. "It should be remembered that Bangladesh has plunged into deep crisis every time it has held a flawed election," he said, in a speech given on the eve of the Eid al-Adha holiday in the Muslim-majority nation. "A political party usurped power through such elections in the past, and became a barbaric fascist force." Hasina's rule saw widespread human rights abuses, and her government was accused of politicising courts and the civil service, as well as staging lopsided elections. The interim government had already repeatedly vowed to hold elections before June 2026, but said the more time it had to enact reforms, the better. - Reform of 'utmost importance' - The key Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), seen as the election frontrunner, has in recent weeks been pushing hard for polls to be held by December. Army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman, in a speech to officers in May, also said that elections should be held by December, according to both Bangladeshi media and military sources. Days after that speech, the government warned that political power struggles risked jeopardising gains that have been made. "Those who organise such elections are later viewed as culprits, and those who assume office through them become targets of public hatred," Yunus said on Friday. "One of the biggest responsibilities of this government is to ensure a transparent... and widely participatory election so that the country does not fall into a new phase of crisis," he added. "That is why institutional reform is of utmost importance." Up to 1,400 people were killed between July and August 2024 after Hasina's government launched a crackdown in a bid to cling to power, according to the United Nations. Hasina, 77, fled by helicopter to her old ally India and she has defied an extradition order to return to Dhaka. Her trial opened in absentia this month. Yunus said "reforms, trials, and elections" were the three "core mandates" of his government. "The sacrifices made by our students and people will be in vain if good governance cannot be established," he said. The Election Commission will "present a detailed roadmap" for the vote "at an appropriate time", the interim leader said without specifying a date. "We have been in dialogue with all stakeholders to organise the most free, fair, competitive, and credible election in the history of Bangladesh," Yunus added. - AFP
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Bitter return for deported Iraqis
IRAQI Mohammed Jalal lost 10 years of his life seeking asylum in Germany, without success. Instead of being granted refuge, he was sent back to the land he had fled. He now faces the same challenges that drove him to leave the northern Kurdistan region of Iraq. More than a year has passed, and he is still without a job. Jalal is just one of thousands of Iraqis and migrants from many other countries who have been forced out of Europe as it tightens its migration policies, driven by the rise of the extreme right. European states are now working closely with Iraq to support returnees by funding programmes primarily aimed at tackling unemployment. In the town of Ranya in autonomous Kurdistan, Jalal moved back in with his elderly father to a cramped two-room apartment where they sleep on mattresses on a cold concrete floor. 'If I could return to Europe I would,' 39-year-old Jalal said. He still dreams of a day when German authorities grant him asylum. Mohamed Jalal posing for a picture in his apartment in Ranya. — AFP 'I could become legal and work in a Kurdish restaurant,' he said. 'Here I don't have a job.' In 2015, Jalal undertook the perilous journey across the Mediterranean from the Turkish city of Izmir to Greece. He went to North Macedonia, Serbia and Croatia before finally reaching Germany. There, he settled in a centre for asylum seekers and received €300 a month. Despite restrictions on asylum seekers getting jobs, Jalal travelled to cities including Nuremberg and Munich where he worked illegally and had to be careful not to be caught. Jalal's asylum requests were denied twice and Germany expelled him in January last year. Back home, following a failed attempt to open a bakery, he worked for two months at a falafel kiosk earning US$7 a day. Unemployed again, he now receives US$150 from his family abroad. 'I live on this meagre amount,' he said. In the last quarter of 2024, around 125,000 non-Europeans were ordered to leave a country in the European Union, 16% more than during the same period in 2023. 'As a matter of principle, Germany repatriates people who are required to leave the country,' the German embassy said. Mohamed Ismail working in his repair shop in Arbil. — AFP It said Germany 'has given protection and shelter to millions of people who have fled war and violence in their home countries', including many Iraqis, mostly from the north. But the embassy warned that 'there are no prospects of residence for people who enter Germany irregularly in the hope of a better life and who have no need for protection'. Despite presenting itself as an oasis of stability in turbulent Iraq, Kurdistan is grappling with economic challenges that push its young people to seek opportunities elsewhere. Many have lost their lives while trying to reach Europe. Hardi Ahmed left Ranya, east of the Kurdistan capital Arbil, in 2021. He called his journey to the United Kingdom the 'path of death' after losing three friends to drowning, one in the channel between France and Britain. Upon arrival, Ahmed quickly realised he was not welcome. He was turned back to France, where the Iraqi embassy helped him return home. Back in Kurdistan, the 39-year-old is now unemployed, and believes the authorities should provide jobs. 'If not, youth will be forced... to go to Europe,' he said. After decades marred by conflict, including a US-led invasion followed by insurgencies and the rise of the Islamic State group, Iraq has now regained some stability. The German government-linked development agency GIZ supports centres in Arbil and Baghdad that provide returnees with counselling and help in job searches, training and providing financial aid for small businesses. Funded by Germany, Switzerland and the EU, the centres assisted 350 people between June 2023 and August 2024. The EU ambassador to Iraq, Thomas Seiler, said that 'some member states have agreed on bilateral return and readmission agreements with Iraq', and the EU is finalising a similar deal. The capacity of many European cities and villages 'to receive and integrate' migrants 'has long been reached', Seiler warned. 'Irregular migration should now clearly be prevented.' Seiler said the EU funds programmes to assist Iraq in welcoming back returnees. It also provides tens of millions of euros to support initiatives aimed at helping 'Iraqis stay in Iraq'. With funding from Denmark and Finland, the Kurdish Rwanga Foundation launched a programme to reintegrate returnees. It has so far trained 120 people on starting small businesses and provided grants of up to US$5,600 to 15 of them. Kamiran Shivan, head of the foundation's programmes, said beneficiaries' sectors include construction, carpentry, mobile and electronics repair, restaurants and beauty salons. Many Iraqis return home burdened with debt from the cost of their journey to Europe. 'They come back without having a source of income or assets that would allow them to repay their debts,' Shivan said. Mohammed Ismail, 29, left for Germany in 2016, hoping for a better life and a European passport. But more than five years later, nothing has changed for him. Germany rejected his asylum requests three times on the basis that Arbil is considered safe. Back home in Kurdistan, he received a grant from Rwanga to become a partner in a mechanic's workshop, which provides him with US$550 a month – enough to support his wife and three-year-old child. 'I no longer consider emigrating,' Ismail said. 'If I return to Europe, it will be as a tourist.' — AFP
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
M'sia committed to disaster risk reduction for education
Promoting safe schools: Ahmad Zahid (second from left) at the ministerial roundtable at the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in Geneva. — Photo courtesy of Zahid's Facebook page KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening the resilience of its education system to disasters through the launch of the National Disaster Risk Reduction Policy 2030, which aligns with the United Nations' Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said he conveyed this message during a ministerial roundtable themed 'Safe Schools' at the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in Geneva yesterday. 'This policy focuses on comprehensive risk reduction across all sectors, including the safety and continuity of education,' he said in a statement yesterday, reported Bernama. According to Ahmad Zahid, one of the key initiatives highlighted was the development of the Disaster Risk Reduction Education Module by the Education Ministry, Unicef Malaysia and the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma), which will benefit nearly 7,800 primary schools nationwide. He said the module emphasises experiential learning, hands-on training and active student engagement, in line with the Asean Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response framework. To ensure comprehensive implementation, Ahmad Zahid said Malaysia is also exploring strategic collaborations with non-governmental organisations, private companies and government-linked companies. 'At the same time, Nadma's community-based disaster risk management programme successfully engaged nearly 44,000 Malaysians, including over 12,000 youths, over the past year,' he added. He also shared Malaysia's initiative to build permanent relief centres in high-risk school areas, with a federal government allocation of RM135mil. These centres will function as shelters during disasters and serve as community learning hubs during normal times. 'Malaysia has also expressed its readiness to share expertise and foster cross-border collaboration in strengthening global school safety. 'We believe that investing in resilience today is the best protection for our children's future,' he said. The Deputy Prime Minister led the Malaysian delegation to the eighth session of the meet in Geneva.
