Kuala lumpur: The government has announced an immediate suspension of any new procurement of defence equipment or supplies from Norway. This decision was communicated by MADANI Government spokesperson Datuk Fahmi Fadzil following a Cabinet meeting focused on recent developments concerning Norway's cancellation of an export licence for missiles intended for the Royal Malaysian Navy's Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) vessels.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the Norwegian government had previously cancelled the export licence for Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) citing national security concerns. In response to this development, the Defence Ministry has issued a notice of claim amounting to approximately RM1 billion against the defence company involved in the NSM procurement contract.

Furthermore, the Defence Ministry has identified four alternative countries that could potentially supply anti-ship missile systems for the LCS project following the cancellation.