Hanoi (VNA) – Malaysia’s DefenceMinister Hishammuddin Hussein has called on Asian countries to strengthencooperation to cope with global threats, including terrorism.
He made the statement at the closing ceremony ofthe 16th Defence Service Asia (DSA) exhibition in Kuala Lumpur on April 17.
The minister suggested increasing informationexchanges among armed forces to prevent terrorism.
He acknowledged this is not an easy task becausethe sharing of intelligence between security agencies is only conducted whenrequired and there are strict regulations on information security.
Therefore, countries need to seek ways toovercome these barriers, he said.
He also recommended using 'soft power' to fightterrorism instead of military measures.
Earlier at the opening ceremony of theexhibition on April 15, Hishammuddin urged ASEAN defence and security agenciesas well as extra-bloc countries to enhance collaboration and integration todeal with global threats and challenges, especially terrorism and violence.
He affirmed that Malaysia always attaches greatimportance to cooperation with ASEAN members in defence and securitymatters.-VNA