Malaysia, Ethiopia for stronger defence cooperation with India as PM meets leaders
On the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, bilateral talks were held between India and the leaders of Malaysia and Ethiopia.
The Malaysia talks covered trade and investment, defence and security, semiconductors, infrastructure, the digital economy, energy, fintech, education and tourism.
Malaysia conveyed its concurrence to India's proposal to open a Consulate General in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.
The Ethiopia talks focused on security partnership and defence cooperation, with Ethiopia's participation in the summit noted as reinforcing the collective voice of the Global South.
Both countries indicated interest in stronger defence cooperation with India, including joint personnel training and defence procurement from India.
Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, 1963
A Consulate General is a consular (not diplomatic) post, and its establishment is governed by the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (VCCR), adopted 24 April 1963 in Vienna. It codifies the framework, functions, privileges and immunities of consular missions, distinct from the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961, which governs embassies.
Key Details
- Embassies are the primary diplomatic mission, typically one per country, based in the host capital, and handle high-level political relations.
- Consulates/Consulates General are opened in other major cities to provide consular services (visas, passports, assistance to citizens) and promote trade/people-to-people ties; a country can have multiple consulates.
- Consular officers have narrower privileges and immunities than diplomatic agents under the VCCR's 79 articles.
The proposed Indian Consulate General in Kota Kinabalu (Sabah, East Malaysia) is a consular post to be established under this convention's framework, aimed at deepening trade, investment and people-to-people engagement with East Malaysia beyond the existing High Commission in Kuala Lumpur.
BRICS Membership Tiers: Full Members vs Partner Countries
BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) originated as "BRIC" in 2009 and added South Africa in 2010. At the 2023 Johannesburg summit, BRICS admitted Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the UAE as full members effective 1 January 2024, expanding the bloc to nine members (Saudi Arabia was invited but has not formally joined). At the 2024 Kazan summit, Russia introduced a new "partner country" category, offered to 13 countries including Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Belarus, Nigeria, Turkey and others; Indonesia converted this into full membership in January 2025.
Key Details
- Ethiopia: full BRICS member since 1 January 2024.
- Malaysia: BRICS partner country (since the 2024 Kazan summit), not yet a full member.
- BRICS+ (post-expansion) now accounts for roughly 37% of world GDP.
The two bilateral meetings illustrate the two-tier BRICS engagement structure in practice — Ethiopia attended as a full member reinforcing the Global South narrative, while Malaysia engaged as a partner country while separately deepening bilateral ties with India on trade and defence.
Defence Procurement Process in India
Defence cooperation offers to India — such as those from Malaysia and Ethiopia — for equipment or platforms sourced from India follow India's institutionalised defence acquisition architecture. Domestic and export procurement decisions move through the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by the Raksha Mantri (Defence Minister), which approves acquisition categories and cost, before high-value or strategically sensitive cases go to the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), chaired by the Prime Minister, for final approval.
Key Details
- DAC was constituted in 2001 (post-Kargil Review Committee reforms) to bring transparency to defence procurement.
- The Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020 is the current governing document for capital acquisitions, including export-oriented "Buy (Global – Manufacture in India)" categories.
- CCS approval is required for acquisitions above delegated financial thresholds or with strategic implications.
Reported interest from Malaysia and Ethiopia in defence procurement from India and joint training reflects India's growing profile as a defence exporter, a process that — on the Indian side — is institutionally governed by the DAC-CCS chain regardless of the buyer country.
India and the "Voice of the Global South"
"Global South" refers to developing and emerging economies of Asia, Africa and Latin America, often contrasted with the industrialised "Global North." India has positioned itself as a leading voice for this grouping, notably through the Voice of Global South Summits (first held January 2023, ahead of India's G20 presidency) and advocacy for African Union's permanent G20 membership (granted at the 2023 New Delhi G20 Summit).
Key Details
- India hosted two Voice of Global South Summits in 2023 and a third in 2024.
- The African Union became a permanent G20 member in September 2023 under India's G20 presidency.
- Ethiopia hosts the African Union's headquarters (Addis Ababa), giving it added significance in Global South diplomacy.
Ethiopia's remarks about reinforcing the "collective voice of the Global South" at the BRICS Summit align with this broader Indian and BRICS+ diplomatic push to represent developing-world interests in global governance forums.
- BRICS full members (as of the 18th Summit, 2026): Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, UAE (9 members); Saudi Arabia invited but not formally joined.
- BRICS partner countries (since Kazan 2024) include Malaysia, Indonesia (later converted to full member), Thailand, Belarus, Nigeria, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Bolivia, Algeria, Uganda, Vietnam.
- Vienna Convention on Consular Relations: adopted 1963, 79 articles.
- Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations: 1961 (separate instrument governing embassies).
- Defence Acquisition Council (DAC): constituted 2001; Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS): apex body for strategic/high-value defence approvals.