Malaysia pledges stronger ASEAN security cooperation as regional meeting concludes

Malaysia reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening security cooperation among Southeast Asian nations following a regional ministerial meeting in the Philippines on transnational crime.

Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said Thursday that closer ties and mutual understanding among ASEAN member states were essential to maintaining regional peace and stability, the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) reported.

His remarks came a day after the 20th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime (AMMTC) concluded Wednesday in Makati City, the Philippines.

Saifuddin said cooperation among ASEAN countries should extend beyond formal negotiations to strengthen relationships between officials.

He made the remarks in a Facebook post following a gala dinner Wednesday marking the meeting's conclusion.

The minister said the gathering provided an opportunity to exchange views with counterparts from other ASEAN countries.

The two-day ministerial meeting, held Tuesday and Wednesday, focused on strengthening regional responses to transnational crime, including online scams, money laundering, human trafficking and organized criminal networks.

Malaysia earlier urged ASEAN members to translate regional commitments into concrete enforcement measures, particularly through intelligence-sharing, financial investigations and coordinated action against criminal syndicates.

Saifuddin also called for stronger cross-border cooperation to address increasingly sophisticated crimes involving digital technologies and artificial intelligence.