PETALING JAYA: The Prime Minister of Malaysia, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, announced that bilateral relations between Malaysia and Turkiye are set to reach new heights with the upcoming visit of President Tayyip Erdogan. Anwar revealed in a Facebook post on Sunday that he held a virtual meeting with Erdogan, during which the Turkish President confirmed his commitment to visit Malaysia in the near future. This visit aims to further strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries, in response to Anwar’s invitation. Additionally, Erdogan has expressed his willingness to meet Anwar during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York next month.
Anwar also highlighted that Erdogan extended his prayers for the success of Malaysia’s unity government in the upcoming six state elections. Furthermore, Anwar conveyed the well wishes of his wife, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, and their family to Erdogan’s wife, Emine, expressing their willingness to meet soon.
The discussion between Anwar and Erdogan primarily focused on investment cooperation between Malaysia and Turkiye. Malaysia Airport Holdings Bhd (MAHB) has pledged an investment of RM1.161 billion at Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport (ISGIA), which is owned and operated by MAHB. Moreover, Batik Air Malaysia has been selected as the operator for the KUL-ISG route, and flights are expected to commence in October 2023.
The leaders also discussed defense cooperation, particularly Turkiye’s advanced defense technology. In line with this, Anwar expressed his admiration and the potential benefits for Malaysia from closer cooperation with Turkiye. As a result, both parties have agreed in principle to finalize a memorandum of understanding on defense cooperation soon. Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir was present during the virtual meeting as well.
In 2022, Malaysia’s trade volume with Turkiye reached US4.62 billion (RM21.04 billion), reflecting a 12.6% increase. This was largely due to Turkiye’s imports of palm oil and palm oil-based agricultural products, resulting in a trade surplus of US3.33 billion (RM15.17 billion) for Malaysia.
During the meeting, Anwar also expressed Malaysia’s strong stance against violence and its refusal to compromise with any party involved in terrorism within the country. He took the opportunity to inform President Erdogan about Malaysia’s efforts to combat Islamophobia, including its condemnation of the burning of the Quran in Sweden. Anwar strongly condemned such acts, which he believes hide behind the narrative of freedom of speech promoted by the West. To address Western misconceptions about Islam, Malaysia pledged to donate a million copies of the Quran worldwide, including 15,000 copies with translations in Swedish.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
