Holding a joint press conference with Malaysian Prime Minister Ibrahim, President Erdoğan said: “Last year in February, I paid a visit to Kuala Lumpur. During that visit, we decided to establish the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council between our countries. As such, today we held the first meeting of the Council. I am confident that we will further consolidate through this mechanism the Türkiye-Malaysia friendship, which draws its strength from our ancient history.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia held a joint press conference following their bilateral meeting, the first meeting of the Türkiye-Malaysia High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council, and the signing ceremony of several documents at the Presidential Complex.
“Malaysia is our largest trade partner in the ASEAN region”
President Erdoğan said: “Last year in February, I paid a visit to Kuala Lumpur. During that visit, we decided to establish the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council between our countries. As such, today we held the first meeting of the Council. I am confident that we will further consolidate through this mechanism the Türkiye-Malaysia friendship, which draws its strength from our ancient history. We have just signed the documents that will strengthen the contractual basis of our relations.”
“Malaysia is our largest trade partner in the ASEAN region. Also, we have a free trade agreement. We had set $10 billion as our trade volume target during my visit to Kuala Lumpur. I sincerely believe that through our joint efforts, we can accomplish this target in a balanced and sustainable manner. We desire to bring a renewed dynamism to the investment ties between our countries, and for Malaysia to step up its investments in our country. I wish for the meetings Mr. President will hold today and tomorrow with the Turkish business community to yield favorable consequences for our countries,” President Erdoğan stated.
“We also discussed about issues surrounding defense industry during today’s talks. Thank Allah, we have conducted many projects with Malaysia in this field, with many others currently under way. In the period ahead, we will continue to focus on steps we can take in this area based on the win-win principle,” President Erdoğan said, and added: “Another topic that we addressed was the social aspect that underpins the friendship and brotherhood between Türkiye and Malaysia. We have decided to maintain our efforts in education, culture and tourism, as well as to continue the steps towards a stronger dialogue between our peoples.”
“We are on the same page regarding international matters”
President Erdoğan stated: “Regional and international developments were also high on our agenda. I am pleased to once again see today that we are on the same page regarding international matters. The Gaza issue in particular, we will continue to follow it together. As you know well, we attach special importance to cooperation with regional countries and the ASEAN within the framework of the Asia Initiative that we launched in 2019.”
President Erdoğan went on: “Malaysia wrapped up a busy period in 2025 as the ASEAN term president. I congratulate them for successfully finalizing their term presidency. My brother Anwar made significant contributions to the alleviation of the tension between Thailand and Cambodia. Before ending my remarks, I would like to thank Mr. Prime Minister and his esteemed delegation for their visit to our country.”
