ANKARA: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will be conferred the Order of the Republic during the Prime Minister’s three-day official visit to Turkiye.
Malaysian ambassador to Turkiye Sazali Mustafa Kamal said the award is Turkiye’s highest honour conferred on foreign leaders for strengthening Malaysia-Turkiye diplomatic relations.
“This award is the highest form of recognition bestowed on a leader who has brought Malaysia and Turkiye closer and strengthened bilateral ties with Turkiye,” he told a press conference here yesterday, as reported by Bernama.
Sazali said the award will be presented by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today.
Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, is visiting Turkiye as part of Malaysia’s efforts to further strengthen the long-standing bilateral relations between the two countries.
He is here for the inaugural Malaysia-Turkiye High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council meeting, an event that is the highlight of his three-day official visit.
Sazali said the meeting, co-chaired by Anwar and Erdogan, would serve as the main platform to discuss strategic cooperation across various sectors.
Inaugural meeting: Anwar leaving for Turkiye accompanied by Azizah and the Malaysian delegation. — Photo from Anwar’s Facebook page
The council meeting, he said, 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.
Anwar was accorded an official welcome at the presidential complex before a closed-door meeting with Erdogan to discuss strategic and critical issues in Malaysia-Turkiye relations.
He is scheduled to chair a roundtable with Turkish companies to explore new avenues for economic and trade cooperation.
“This meeting reflects the 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.
Today, 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$5.2bil in 2024, with a new target set at US$10bil.
Anwar was accompanied by his wife, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, as well as Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir, Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani, and senior government officials.
