SINGAPORE - Malaysia Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu called on Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen on Thursday (Oct 18) in his introductory visit, affirming bilateral ties and discussing ways to tackle the regional challenge of terrorism.
In their meeting on Thursday at the Ministry of Defence (Mindef), the ministers reaffirmed the warm and longstanding bilateral defence relationship between the two countries.
A Mindef statement said they noted the positive trajectory in bilateral defence relations, and affirmed both countries' cooperation on various regional multilateral platforms.
These include the Asean Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) and the Asean Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus, as well as the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) - comprising Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, New Zealand and Britain.
The ministers also discussed ways to deal with regional challenges such as strengthening cooperation to tackle the threat of terrorism, the statement added.
Mr Mohamad is in Singapore ahead of the 12th ADMM and the 5th ADMM-Plus, both of which he will be attending starting on Friday.
On Thursday, he visited the Information Fusion Centre at Changi Naval Base, where he interacted with Malaysian troops participating in Exercise Bersama Lima - a multilateral exercise involving the five member nations of the FPDA.
He also visited the 3rd Singapore Division, where he viewed a static display of army assets and weapon systems, and embarked on a familiarisation ride on the Light Strike Vehicle Mark II.
Mr Mohamad will call on Acting Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean on Saturday.
Singapore and Malaysia's defence establishments interact regularly across a range of activities, such as bilateral exercises, visits and exchanges, said Mindef.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, Dr Ng wrote of the meeting: "We had good discussions to strengthen bilateral ties. I will be hosting him to dinner tonight."
