KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 14 (Bernama) -- The defence ministers of Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines have agreed to look into strengthening their ground forces through the conduct of military trainings as an added initiative to solidify their Trilateral Cooperative Arrangement (TCA).
This was among the outcome of their meeting held at the Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo in Quezon City, the Philippines where Malaysia was represented by Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu. It took place in conjunction with his official visit to the country from Sept 12 to 14.
“The minister reaffirmed Malaysia's strong commitment towards ensuring the continued implementation of the TCA that the three countries have established,” the ministry said in a statement today.
During the visit , Mohamad also visited Marawi City in the southern island of Mindanao.
“The minister stressed that although the battle of Marawi has physically defeated the IS threats within the city, the Philippines and her surrounding neighbours must consolidate efforts and strive to identify and defeat the bigger enemy – the Daesh ideology that has gained foothold in many areas of Southeast Asia,” the statement said.
He was also escorted to witness the extensive damage following a five-month battle to liberate Marawi City.
-- BERNAMA
