KLUANG, May 12 (Bernama) -- Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin will meet his Norwegian counterpart in Singapore later this month to seek clarification on the country's surprise decision to block the export licence for naval strike missiles (NSM) to Malaysia.
He said the meeting would also be used to express the Malaysian government's regret and surprise at Norway's action in cancelling the delivery of the asset just a few days before the scheduled date in March.
"It is very unfortunate that we have signed a contract to purchase the missiles from Norway since 2018. The missiles were supposed to be delivered in March to equip our littoral combat ships (LCS) as well as KD Lekiu and KD Jebat.
"But a few days before the delivery date, without indications, the Norwegian government announced that it would not grant a license to market the product after eight years of our purchase. And of course it surprises us, of course it affects us,” he said.
He told reporters after officiating the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) MADANI Economic Programme here today.
Mohamed Khaled said the action did not reflect good diplomatic relations between the two countries.
According to him, Malaysia is currently using diplomatic channels at various levels including the relationship between the Prime Ministers and Foreign Ministers of both countries to resolve the crisis.
“Since this matter is still being handled through diplomacy, I do not want to comment further at this time,” he said.
The Norwegian Foreign Ministry has reportedly withdrawn several export licenses related to certain technologies, as part of efforts to tighten the country’s export controls.
According to Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace AS (KDA) website, the NSM procurement was signed between the RMN and KDA in April 2018 with a contract value of 124 million euros (RM571.9 million) to equip six new LCS ships.
The missile is capable of carrying out long-range maritime strikes at high subsonic speeds with a range exceeding 300 kilometres.
-- BERNAMA
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