PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Visiting French President Francois Hollande pitched the sale of French-made fighter jets to Malaysia during his brief stay in Malaysia on Tuesday, but Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said they are "not ready to make a decision."
In a joint press conference after an one-hour bilateral meeting, Najib acknowledged that Malaysia is a big procurer of French equipment, adding Malaysia is aware of French-made aircraft Rafale's success in several countries.
Since Malaysia proposed to replace its outdated Mig-29N fighter jets with the so-called multi-role combat aircraft, major defense companies including Dassault Aviation from France, BAE Systems from Britain and Saab from Sweden have proposed their products.
During the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition in Malaysia last week, Dassault Aviation, the maker of Rafale, signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Defense University of Malaysia, part of their lobbying efforts to push the deal. Aerial display using the Rafale F3b was also staged during the exhibition.
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