The National Resilience College commenced its Brussels engagement with a comprehensive briefing at the European Parliament by Ms. Josefine Hetting, Delegation Coordinator, setting the context for the strategic importance of EU-Malaysia relations and parliamentary diplomacy.
Following a fruitful visit to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the National Resilience College delegation, led by Major General Datuk Johnny Lim Eng Seng, continued their strategic engagements in Brussels.
The first session began with an in-depth briefing by representatives of the European Union, covering key thematic areas relevant to Malaysia and the Indo-Pacific region. The sessions were delivered by:
• Ms. Leila Fernandez-Stembridge (Intro, EU-Malaysia relations)
• Mr. Chris Kendall (EU-ASEAN relations)
• Ms. Insa Ewert (EU-China relations)
• Mr. Apostolos Gerakopoulos (Indo-Pacific)
• Mr. Jean-Pierre Van Aubel (Security and Defence Partnership)
The College then visited NATO Headquarters, where they were welcomed by Ms. Barbora Maronkova, Global Partners Lead, Public Diplomacy Division, who provided an overview of NATO’s current agenda. This was followed by:
• A presentation by Mr. Johan Alvin, Political Affairs Officer, Political Affairs and Security Policy Division, on NATO’s partnerships, and
• A briefing by Lt Col Garry Pinchen, Section Head, Cooperative Security Division, International Military Staff, on NATO’s practical cooperation initiatives.
The day concluded with a courtesy call to His Excellency Dato’ Mohd Khalid Abbasi Abdul Razak, Ambassador of Malaysia to Belgium and Luxembourg, and Head of Mission of Malaysia to the European Union. Also present were:
• Ms. Najwa Musyrifah Ramli, Deputy Chief of Mission
• Mdm. Zaireen Omar, Minister (Economic Affairs)
• Mdm. Nor Hafizah Mohamad Sepidi, Counsellor (Customs)
This strategic engagement underscored the significance of strengthening Malaysia’s diplomatic, economic, and security linkages with the European Union and NATO, while offering insights into current geopolitical developments and their implications on national resilience.
