KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 3 — The United States (US) is committed to continuing to strengthen close ties with Malaysia, including in the defence sector, said Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.

He said the matter was among the matters raised by US Ambassador to Asean Kevin Kim during a courtesy call in conjunction with the 37th Annual Military Law and Operations Conference (MILOPS) held in the capital today.

“The US will always pay attention to enhancing and further strengthening close ties between the two countries, including in the defence sector,” he told reporters after receiving the courtesy call.

According to him, the meeting focused more on efforts to strengthen existing relations and did not involve discussions on policy matters.

Apart from Kevin, Mohamed Khaled also received courtesy calls from Asean Secretary-General Dr Kao Kim Hourn and Singapore’s Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Defence Joseph Leong.

Commenting on his meeting with Kao, he said both sides exchanged views on the challenges facing Asean as well as efforts to strengthen the contribution of the defence sector in maintaining the principles of Asean Centrality, peace, stability and prosperity of the region.

He said they also agreed that the defence sector has an important role in supporting Asean’s goals and strengthening cooperation between member states.

Meanwhile, Mohamed Khaled said Joseph, who was newly appointed Permanent Secretary of the Singapore Ministry of Defence, expressed his commitment to continue strengthening cooperation with Malaysia.

According to him, the cooperation not only involves bilateral relations but also encompasses multilateral cooperation at the Asean level and through the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA).

The 37th MILOPS Annual Conference is being held in Kuala Lumpur from today to August 6, bringing together government officials and military representatives from more than 30 countries to discuss regional security challenges and strengthen cooperation in legal aspects and military operations. — Bernama