KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 20): Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have agreed to further strengthen bilateral ties, especially in defence, said Senior Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.

Hishammuddin, who is on an official visit to the UAE, said both countries also agreed that this should be explored for the sake of driving the Malaysia-UAE defence cooperation to a higher level.

"This includes sharing Malaysia and UAE's experience and expertise for the safety of the people," he said in a statement on Tuesday after holding a meeting with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is also the Ruler of Abu Dhabi, at Qasr Al Shati Palace.

Hishammuddin said that in his meeting with Sheikh Mohamed, who is also the Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, they also discussed the need to increase understanding based on the values of unity and tolerance, especially through the establishment of the Sheikh Zayed Chair at the Institute of Strategic and International Studies in synthesis with the Tun Hussein Onn Chair, which had been set up a long time ago.

"The setting up of the Sheikh Zayed Chair was agreed upon when I was the foreign minister previously. We believe the holders of these two Chairs must cooperate in promoting unity and capability, especially in sharing the values of Sheikh Zayed and Tun Hussein Onn," he said.

Hishammuddin said he and Sheikh Mohamed agreed that this effort was important to understand that harmony, tolerance, and unity were the basis of a country's success.

He added that he and Sheikh Mohamed also took the opportunity to express appreciation for the commitment of their respective governments to ensuring that Malaysia-UAE relations remain beneficial, in addition to exchanging views on several regional and international issues.

Meanwhile, Hishammuddin said that during his meeting with UAE Minister of State for Defence Affairs Mohammed Ahmed Al Bowardi at the UAE Defence Ministry headquarters, he also received the Guard of Honour from all three branches of the UAE Armed Forces.

He said that during the bilateral meeting with his counterpart, they came to several important agreements, including conducting joint bilateral training between the Malaysian Armed Forces and the UAE Armed Forces involving the Malaysian and UAE armies.

"In addition, we will also increase the exchange and training of military officers between both armed forces and military-to-military engagement at the highest level.

"This matter was also agreed upon by Malaysian Chief of Defence Force and Chief of Staff of the UAE Armed Forces Hamad Mohammed Thani al-Rumaithi. Both countries also agreed to cooperate regarding the defence industry, especially in connection with Malaysia's National Defence and Security Industry Policy.

Hishammuddin said he also extended an invitation to Mohammed Ahmed Al Bowardi to attend the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace, to be held from May 23 to 27, 2023.

The Malaysian delegation included Ministry of Defence secretary-general Datuk Seri Muez Abd Aziz, Malaysian Chief of Defence Force General Tan Sri Affendi Buang, and Army Chief General Tan Sri Zamrose Mohd Zain.