Erdogan, Anwar signal deeper Türkiye–Malaysia partnership with defence at its core

Türkiye will continue assessing joint steps with Malaysia in the defence industry under a “win-win” framework, said President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as the two countries seek to broaden cooperation across strategic, economic, and diplomatic fields.

Speaking at a joint press conference in Ankara with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Wednesday, Erdogan said the first high-level cooperation meeting —agreed during his visit to Kuala Lumpur last year— was held earlier in the day, marking a concrete step toward closer bilateral coordination.

Erdogan also encouraged Malaysia to expand its investments in Türkiye, pointing to growing opportunities in defence, infrastructure, and advanced industries.

Erdogan is a “courageous leader”

For his part, Anwar praised Türkiye’s technological capabilities, lauding “the capacity of the Turkish people and industry in science and technology,” and said Malaysia views Türkiye as a valuable partner in innovation-driven growth.

Anwar also thanked Erdogan for what he described as his “courageous leadership not only for Türkiye but for the world at large, particularly for the Muslim world,” signalling strong political alignment between the two leaders.

Beyond defence and investment, Erdogan said the talks covered education, culture and people-to-people ties, describing them as pillars for long-term cooperation.

"We also consulted on the human dimension that forms the foundation of Türkiye–Malaysia friendship and brotherhood,” Erdogan said.

“We decided to continue our efforts in education, culture, and tourism, as well as to take steps that will strengthen dialogue between our peoples," he said.

Regional and global issues were also discussed, with both sides sharing similar positions.

“Especially, we will continue to closely follow Gaza,” Erdogan said, underscoring common concern over the conflict.

The Turkish president added that Ankara places importance on engagement with regional partners and ASEAN under its Asia Anew Initiative, launched in 2019, and praised Anwar’s efforts to help de-escalate tensions between Thailand and Cambodia.