PUTRAJAYA, Sept 2 — Malaysia and New Zealand have reaffirmed their commitment to regional cooperation under the Five-Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA).
The Royal New Zealand Air Force’s new P-8A Poseidon aircraft will continue the country’s long-running practice of deploying to the Butterworth Royal Malaysia Air Force Base as part of an upcoming FPDA exercise: Bersama Lima.
This was stated in the joint statement issued following a joint press conference between Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today.
Luxon is on a three-day visit to Malaysia (until tomorrow) for bilateral talks and collaboration. This is his first visit to Malaysia since taking office last November.
“The prime ministers recognised the FPDA as a longstanding defence commitment that remains relevant to the strategic interests of both nations,” the statement read.
Anwar and Luxon also valued ongoing close cooperation on countering terrorism, preventing violent extremism, and combating transnational organised crime, including through capacity building and two-way expert exchanges.
They welcomed a new bilateral cooperation arrangement that would underpin this engagement and have directed officials to continue exploring opportunities for New Zealand and Malaysia to work together on strengthening social cohesion, the statement said.
Anwar and Luxon noted Malaysia and New Zealand’s long-standing defence relationship, dating back to World War II, and both confirmed the two countries would also maintain regular bilateral defence cooperation.
“They welcomed work by each country’s defence ministry to update the 1996 bilateral Arrangements on Defence Cooperation, as well as the agreement to explore holding a Track 1.5 Defence Dialogue,” the statement read.
— Bernama
