High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council Meeting Highlights Of PM Anwar's Visit To Turkiye
By Muhammad Saufee Rosman
ANKARA, Jan 6 (Bernama) -- Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s three-day official visit to Turkiye begins on Tuesday, with the inaugural Malaysia-Turkiye High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSC) meeting scheduled on Wednesday, slated to be the highlight of the trip.
Malaysia’s Ambassador to Turkiye, Sazali Mustafa Kamal, said the meeting, to be co-chaired by Anwar and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will serve as the main platform to discuss strategic cooperation across various sectors.
“A joint statement will be issued at the conclusion of the meeting,” he said at a press conference held in conjunction with the Prime Minister’s official visit here on Tuesday.
The ambassador said the council meeting marks one of the high points of Anwar’s visit, which is undertaken at the invitation of Erdogan and represents Anwar’s first official visit to Turkiye.
During the visit, Anwar will be accorded an official welcome at the Presidential Complex before holding a closed-door meeting with Erdogan to discuss strategic and critical issues in Malaysia-Turkiye relations.
In addition, Anwar is scheduled to chair a roundtable meeting with Turkish companies to explore new avenues for economic and trade cooperation.
“This meeting reflects the MADANI Government’s commitment to identifying and pursuing new opportunities to strengthen Malaysia-Turkiye economic and trade ties,” Sazali said, adding that about 40 Turkish companies from various sectors are expected to participate.
Tomorrow, Anwar is also slated to deliver a public lecture titled Power Shift: Strategic Choices for Malaysia and Turkiye to professionals, academics, senior Turkish officials and students.
On economic ties, Sazali noted that bilateral trade between Malaysia and Turkiye reached US$5.2 billion in 2024, with a new target set to raise the figure to US$10 billion.
During the visit, Anwar is accompanied by his wife, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, as well as Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan, Higher Education Minister Dr Zambry Abd Kadir, Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Johari Abdul Ghani, and senior government officials.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Foreign Ministry in a statement, said the HLSC serves as a platform to review bilateral cooperation, assess ongoing initiatives and explore new avenues of collaboration.
“Discussions are expected to cover trade and investment, agriculture and commodities, defence, security, energy, semiconductor, health, tourism, education and people-to-people exchange, as well as regional and international matters,” read the statement.
It added that both leaders will also witness the exchange of several key documents, including Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cooperation in the Field of Information and Communication Technologies; MoU on Cooperation between the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) and the Investment and Finance Office of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkiye and MoU on Cooperation between EXIM Bank Malaysia and Turk Eximbank.
They will also witness the signing and exchange MoU and Cooperation between the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia and the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA) and the Letter of Acceptance for the Procurement of One Unit of Multi-Purpose Mission Ship (MPMS) 2.
“As part of the programme, the Prime Minister will participate in a Business Roundtable Meeting with leading Turkish industry captains to promote trade and investment opportunities in Malaysia,” it said.
The official visit underscores Malaysia’s ongoing commitment to deepening ties with Turkiye, following the elevation of bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in July 2022.
From January to November 2025, Malaysia’s total trade with Turkiye amounted to RM21.2 billion (US$.92 billion) and the republic continues to be an important economic partner for Malaysia.
“In 2024, Turkiye was Malaysia’s third largest trading partner, largest export destination and fourth largest import source among West Asia countries with total trade valued at RM24.15 billion (US$5.28 billion),” it added.
-- BERNAMA
