US committed to defence ties with Malaysia, says Khaled
His remarks come after several US lawmakers last month called on Washington to review its security and economic ties with Malaysia.
Malaysian Defence Minister Khaled Nordin affirmed the US's commitment to strengthening defence ties with Malaysia, according to a statement following a meeting with US Ambassador to ASEAN Kevin Kim during the 37th Annual Military Law and Operations Conference (Milops) in Kuala Lumpur. The discussions, as conveyed by Khaled, centered on enhancing existing bilateral relations and did not delve into policy issues, according to reports by Bernama.
The meeting, held on the sidelines of Milops, saw Khaled affirm the US's intention to maintain close ties with Malaysia, particularly in the defence sector, as reported by the news agency. This follows a July 21 letter from eight US lawmakers urging then Secretary of State Marco Rubio to reassess Malaysia's security and economic ties with Washington, following comments by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim about potential deportations of Israeli citizens found in the country.
In response, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim dismissed the lawmakers' concerns as "misguided," highlighting Malaysia's historical stance on restricting Israeli citizens, which dates back decades.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
