Lorenzana meets with Malaysian counterpart
MANILA, Philippines—Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana recently met Malaysian Senior Defense Minister Dato Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein and exchanged views on current developments in the region.
The two leaders discussed ASEAN centrality, new partnerships, nuclear proliferation, and possible spillover of chaos in Afghanistan and the fight against COVID during a video conference last Oct. 18, the Department of National Defense said in a statement.
Lorenzana and Hishammuddin also reaffirmed their commitment to the implementation of the 1994 memorandum of understanding on defense cooperation.
The DND statement said both were optimistic that defense relations between the Philippines and Malaysia, and the trilateral cooperation with Indonesia will continue to flourish in the coming years.
Last March, the two countries held the Philippines-Malaysia Combined Committee on Defense Cooperation to share best practices and exchange insights on various security issues.
Malaysia heads the International Monitoring Team, which oversees the implementation of the peace process between the Philippine government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
The Philippines and Malaysia have been at odds on Sabah, but both share mutual concerns on the South China Sea. They have recently called out China’s continued incursions in the disputed waters.
