KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia and Indonesia agreed to cooperate and share intelligence information, besides monitoring the movements of members of the Islamic State (IS) militant group who have fought in Syria and Iraq, as well as the social media.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said Malaysia and Indonesia's role in this was important and critical as together, both countries had the biggest Muslim population in the ASEAN region.
"The IS threat is real and considering the current situation in Iraq, Syria and a few other countries, it's not impossible for the IS threat and ideology to spread in the region.
"This region has several hot spots that can be used to spread the IS ideology," he said at a news conference in conjunction with Indonesian Defence Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu's visit to the Malaysian Armed Forces' Wisma Perwira, here, today.
On the maritime border issue, Hishammuddin said the two countries agreed not to prolong the provocation and dispute that might exist and could adversely affect diplomatic relations between Malaysia and Indonesia.
On the initiative to set up the ASEAN Peacekeeping Force, Hishammuddin said he had expressed to Ryamizard, Malaysia's wish to obtain the support of Indonesia in realising it under the United Nations flag.
He said there would be three phases under the ASEAN Peacekeeping Force: Phase I - acceptance of use of the "ASEAN Badge" among the member states, Phase II - sending out of ASEAN mission teams, and Phase III: use of the UN flag.
Earlier, Hishammuddin and Ryamizard attended a bilateral meeting where thjey discussed various topics that touched on the security and defence interests of both countries and the region.
Ryamizard's visit was aimed at strengthening ties in defence in ensuring continued security and stability in the region.
The discussions also included ensuring security in the Straits of Melaka, and tackling the IS threat and maritime border issue in the region.
Ryamizard said with the cooperation, both countries could combat the IS threat which had become a trend.
"If allowed to prevail, the terrorists would be united and become stronger. We don't want this to happen in each of our countries. We must curb that threat," he said.
Meanwhile, Hishammuddin said Malaysia has invited Myanmar to be an observer in the Melaka Strait Patrols (MSP) initiative to combat piracy in the busy strait.
MSP is a coordination of marine and air patrols between the littoral states to combat the threat.
"The move will hopefully help Myanmar further develop its knowledge of maritime security, as well as enhance the existing MSP cooperation," he said.
Launched in 2006, it comprises the Malacca Strait Sea Patrol (MSSP), Eyes in the Sky (EiS) and the MSP Intelligence Exchange Group (MSP IEG).
So far, only four nations are involved in the MSP - Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia. - BERNAMA