Türkiye and Malaysia agreed to further strengthen their strategic partnership, deepen defense industry cooperation and work toward a bilateral trade volume of $10 billion, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Wednesday following high-level talks in Ankara.
Speaking at a joint news conference with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim after chairing the first meeting of the Türkiye–Malaysia High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council, Erdoğan said the long-standing friendship between the two countries, rooted in shared historical ties, would continue to grow through concrete cooperation.
“We had earlier set a trade volume target of $10 billion, and I sincerely believe that through joint efforts we can reach this goal,” Erdoğan said, adding that the two sides also discussed defense industry cooperation and would continue evaluating joint steps based on a win-win principle.
Erdoğan said Türkiye and Malaysia agreed to maintain strong dialogue between their peoples and noted that regional and international developments were also high on the agenda, stressing that the two countries share similar views on many global issues.
Thanking Ibrahim for his official visit, Erdoğan said he would be awarded Türkiye’s Order of the Republic and expressed hope that the council meeting would yield positive outcomes for both nations.
For his part, Ibrahim praised Erdoğan’s leadership and Türkiye’s support over the years, describing the Turkish president as “a courageous leader and the voice of conscience,” particularly in the Islamic world.
Following the council meeting at the Presidential Complex, the two leaders oversaw the signing of multiple agreements aimed at expanding cooperation across key sectors, including higher education, investment, export financing, research, shipbuilding and information and communication technologies.
Among the agreements were a joint declaration establishing the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council, memorandums of understanding on higher education cooperation, investment promotion, export credit collaboration, economic and social research, the procurement of a multipurpose mission vessel, and cooperation in information and communication technologies.
