TOKYO, April 29. /TASS/. Russia highly values its defense cooperation with Malaysia and is prepared to strengthen it further in the future, stated Russia’s ambassador to Kuala Lumpur, Nail Latypov.

"I am proud of the strong ties we have in military and technical cooperation. It’s particularly gratifying that Russian Su-30 fighters are safeguarding Malaysia’s skies, and we are fully committed to expanding collaboration in these areas," Latypov remarked in an interview with Malaysian television channel Astro Awani.

In mid-April, Alexander Mikheyev, Director General of Rosoboronexport, announced that the company intends to continue equipping the Malaysian Armed Forces with cutting-edge weaponry.

Russia and Malaysia have maintained a partnership in military and technical fields since the 1990s. Notably, in 2009, Russia supplied Malaysia with a batch of 18 custom-designed Su-30 fighter jets.