Malaysia and New Zealand reaffirm their commitment to regional cooperation under FPDA

PUTRAJAYA: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 long-standing practice of New Zealand maritime patrol aircraft deploying to Royal Malaysia Air Force Base Butterworth as part of the upcoming FPDA Exercise Bersama Lima.

This is stated in the joint statement issued after 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 from September 1 to 3 for bilateral talks and cooperation. This is his first visit to the country since he took office in November 2023.

“The Prime Ministers recognised the FPDA as a long-term defence commitment that remains relevant to the strategic interests of both countries,” the statement said.

Anwar and Luxon also attached importance to continued close cooperation in the areas of counter-terrorism, preventing violent extremism and combating transnational organised crime, including through capacity building and mutual exchange of experts.

They welcomed a new bilateral cooperation arrangement that would support this engagement and instructed officials to continue to explore opportunities for New Zealand and Malaysia to work together to strengthen social cohesion, the statement said.

Anwar and Luxon pointed to the long-standing defence relationship between Malaysia and New Zealand, which dates back to World War II, and both affirmed that the two countries would also continue to maintain regular bilateral defence cooperation.

“They welcomed the work of each country’s Ministry of Defense to update the 1996 bilateral defense cooperation agreements, as well as the agreement to explore the possibility of holding a Track 1.5 Defense Dialogue,” the statement said.