Singapore, 9 May 23: Defence Minister, Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan today paid an official visit to Singapore to strengthen defence cooperation between the two countries.

The Ministry of Defence said in a statement that Mohamad met his counterpart, Ng Eng Hen to discuss strengthening defence cooperation between Malaysia and Singapore through bilateral and multilateral platforms.

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“Bilateral defence cooperation between the two countries includes training activities and military exercises, courtesy visits and official visits by senior ministry officials and the armed forces.

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“Discussions also involve the exchange of officers, courses and involvement in defence exhibitions,” he said.

Also present was the Chief of the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF), General Tan Sri Affendi Buang.

According to him, the defence cooperation is further strengthened through multilateral defense cooperation which is the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting and ASEAN Senior Defence Officers Meeting, Five Power Defense Arrangements (FPDA) and Malacca Straits Patrol (MSP).

“The meeting can strengthen defence cooperation between countries and can ensure that more activities can be carried out in the future,” he said.

Mohamad also met the Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong in Parliament.

According to the statement, various matters were discussed with the Prime Minister of Singapore, especially regarding defence cooperation between Malaysia and Singapore.

The official visit of the Minister of Defence opens new opportunities for both countries to continue a good working relationship, especially in the field of defence.

Mohamad was accompanied by senior officials of the Ministry of Defence.

The official visit is a defence diplomacy activity that supports the defense strategy pillar of Competent Partnership outlined in the Defence White Paper.

It is also part of confidence-building measures to ensure national security and regional stability.

A delegation from the Ministry of Defence also visited the Counter Terrorism Information Facilities (CTIF) Operation Center at Changi Naval Base to see the facilities and organization of the centre.

CTIF is a multilateral information exchange platform and agencies to address the challenge of terrorism.

The organization was created by Singapore’s Military Intelligence Organization (MIO) in collaboration with the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM).