Malaysia a key figure in Türkiye's push for stronger ties with Asia: Envoy

KUALA LUMPUR

Malaysia has a central position in Türkiye’s Asia Anew Initiative, the Turkish ambassador to Kuala Lumpur said on Wednesday, referring to a roadmap rolled out by Ankara in 2019 to forge closer ties with Asian countries.

“Malaysia is a key member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). For us, relations with Malaysia are important on both a bilateral basis and in the ASEAN context,” Emir Salim Yuksel told Anadolu Agency.

“Türkiye is ASEAN’s sectoral dialogue partner. Malaysia’s support is important in enhancing our relations with ASEAN. We are working dedicatedly to improve our ties with Malaysia in every aspect,” he added.

Yuksel said Türkiye and Malaysia, as two major economies part of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, have displayed a firm will to enhance cooperation in areas such as joint investments and production, as well as the transfer of technology and information in various fields.

Underlining the close historical and cultural relations between the two countries, he said Ankara and Kuala Lumpur have ramped up bilateral engagements with several high-level visits in the recent past.

The latest will be Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu’s trip to Malaysia scheduled for Thursday, which comes on the invitation of his counterpart Saifuddin Abdullah, the envoy said.

He said Cavusoglu’s visit will be used to follow up on issues agreed during Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s visit to Türkiye last month.

The two sides will discuss economic and regional issues, along with ways to bolster trade and cooperation in the defense industry and the field of higher education, Yuksel added.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz