KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia and Turkiye reaffirmed their commitment to deepen their comprehensive strategic partnership following the inaugural meeting of the High Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC) held in Ankara, Turkiye.
The meeting, co-chaired by Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, also marked a significant milestone in bilateral relations between the two countries.
According to a joint statement issued by the Foreign Ministry on Thursday (Jan 8), both leaders also reaffirmed the longstanding friendship, shared democratic values and cultural ties underpinning relations between Malaysia and Turkiye, and underscored their shared commitment to promoting peace, stability and prosperity at the bilateral, regional and global levels.
The statement said that both leaders also expressed satisfaction with agreements signed during Anwar’s visit to Turkiye, particularly in the areas of trade and investment, information and communication technologies, and the defence industry.
"On economic cooperation, both sides noted the steady growth in bilateral trade and reiterated their ambition to reach a target of US$10bil, while highlighting the importance of fully utilising the Malaysia-Turkiye Free Trade Agreement and expanding cooperation into new sectors, including agriculture, manufacturing, digital trade and services.
"They also reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening collaboration in the global halal economy," the statement said.
The leaders also agreed to deepen bilateral investments, expand cooperation across logistics, maritime connectivity, port development, aviation and emerging economic corridors linking Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific, and to promote cooperation among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in both countries.
In this context, the leaders highlighted the role of civil aviation in enhancing connectivity and encouraged continued consultations between the civil aviation authorities to support efficient and sustainable air transport operations, including air cargo and passenger services.
They also welcomed the engagement between the business communities of both countries during the Turkiye-Malaysia Business Roundtable held on this occasion.
In the area of defence and security, the two sides recognised the strategic importance of bilateral defence cooperation, particularly in military and defence science, technology and industry, and also agreed to deepen collaboration on mutually beneficial high technology projects in strengthening the joint defence industry ecosystem.
"Both sides also committed to enhancing military capacity building through educational and training opportunities for Turkish and Malaysian cadets and officers in Malaysian and Turkish institutions.
"The leaders reiterated their shared commitment to combating transnational organised crime and terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and emphasised the importance of international cooperation to address evolving security challenges,” the statement read.
On energy and sustainability, Malaysia and Turkiye expressed their intention to expand cooperation in energy transition, renewable energy, nuclear energy, clean hydrogen and battery technologies, while reaffirming their shared responsibility to address climate change in line with the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals.
In this context, both sides welcomed opportunities for continued engagement on climate change, in the run-up to Türkiye’s Presidency of the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
The leaders also agreed to strengthen people-to-people ties through enhanced cooperation in culture, education, tourism and media, with Türkiye expressing support for the "Visit Malaysia 2026” initiative.
On regional cooperation and global issues, both sides reaffirmed their support for the Palestinian people and the establishment of an independent State of Palestine, stressing the need for humanitarian access to Gaza and the importance of multilateralism and United Nations (UN) reform.
The joint statement also said the inaugural HLSCC laid the foundation for a comprehensive roadmap to deepen bilateral ties, and both sides agreed to hold the Second High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council Meeting in Malaysia in 2028. - Bernama
