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Chief of the Malaysian Armed Forces Haji Affendi Buang |
In his speech, Chief of the Malaysian Armed Forces Haji Affendi Buang said this was the first time his country had revealed the Defense White Paper which sets up strategic orientations for defense in the next 10 years.
He said one of the highlights of this paper is the affirmation that Malaysia is a maritime nation and its government’s commitment to pursuing the three pillars of the defense strategy, namely concentric deterrence, comprehensive defense and credible partnerships.
In the Defense White Paper, Malaysia said it needs to focus on dealing with non-traditional security issues like terrorism, piracy and maritime security, cyber crime and security, and transnational crimes, as well as to apply modern technologies to defense.
At the event, participants from countries in the region like Brunei, Singapore, Australia, Indonesia and Vietnam presented assessments of the regional situation and their countries’ defense - security relations with Malaysia.
Tran Viet Thai, Deputy Director of the Institute for Foreign Policy and Strategic Studies under the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry, said Vietnam and Malaysia should increase information sharing, personnel training and patrols, as well as multilateral cooperation.
He emphasized ASEAN’s importance in safeguarding security, along with ensuring peace, stability and development in Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific region.
Source: VNA