KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 9 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has said the close ties between Malaysia and Turkiye, reinforced by long-standing trust between their leaders, are helping to drive stronger cooperation in trade, investment, and global engagement.
This relationship, built on trust and mutual respect over the years, has enabled closer engagement and understanding at the leadership level, allowing both countries to cooperate more effectively on key economic and diplomatic initiatives.
“President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been a close personal friend during all these years of trials and tribulations, up and down, he remained a true friend,” he said in an interview with Turkish public broadcaster TRT World’s 'One on One' programme recently.
Anwar undertook a three-day official visit to Turkiye from Tuesday (January 6) to yesterday (January 8) at President Erdoğan's invitation, as part of ongoing efforts to further strengthen the long-standing bilateral relations between the two countries.
He added that while personal ties between leaders could help ease diplomatic engagement, the emphasis remained on ensuring that such relationships translate into meaningful cooperation that benefits the wider public.
Trade and investment continued to be the backbone of Malaysia-Turkiye relations, with economic cooperation a key area for both countries to expand engagement.
Both sides are working to increase bilateral trade, though Anwar acknowledged that current trade levels remain modest relative to the size of both economies.
“Our target is, of course, to reach US$10 billion (RM40.73 billion), but it is still relatively small for a big economy like Turkiye and also the emerging force in Malaysia,” he said.
He also noted that Turkiye played a pivotal role in helping Malaysia and Asean penetrate new markets beyond the region, particularly amid shifting global economic dynamics.
“To me, Turkiye is pivotal in that sort of arrangement,” Anwar said, adding that cooperation between Malaysia and Turkiye could also extend into emerging regions through wider multilateral platforms.
Highlighting Turkiye’s strengths, the Prime Minister said it held advantages in several key areas, including defence technology, research, and education, that could complement Malaysia’s development priorities.
On Putrajaya's foreign policy, Anwar said the country continued to pursue a balanced approach, engaging with major global powers while avoiding alignment with any single bloc.
“Malaysia has benefitted immensely from American presence, trade, and investments. It is still number one,” he said, noting that Malaysia is also strengthening its engagement with China, which he described as an increasingly important regional player.
Malaysia’s approach to international relations is not based on zero-sum calculations, but on pragmatic engagement with all partners.
“So we have to navigate this wisely. It is not a zero-sum game,” Anwar said.
Malaysia’s total trade with Turkiye from January to November 2025 amounted to RM21.2 billion, with the republic remaining an important economic partner.
In 2024, Turkiye was Malaysia’s third-largest trading partner, largest export destination, and fourth-largest source of imports among West Asian countries, with total trade valued at RM24.15 billion.
