PETALING JAYA: Bilateral relations between Malaysia and Turkiye will soar higher now that President Tayyip Erdogan has agreed to visit, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
"Last night, I held a virtual meeting with my friend Recep Tayyip Erdogan. President Erdogan confirmed his commitment to visit Malaysia in the near future to strengthen bilateral relations in response to my invitation," said Anwar in a Facebook post on Sunday (Aug 6).
He added that Erdogan had also agreed to meet him during the upcoming United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York next month.
Anwar said that Erdogan also prayed for the unity government's success in the six state elections.
He also conveyed the well wishes of his wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and the family to Erdogan's wife Emine, expressing their willingness to meet soon.
Anwar then said that he and Erdogan also discussed investment cooperation between Malaysia and Turkiye, with Malaysia Airport Holdings Bhd (MAHB) pledging RM1.161bil in investment at Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport (ISGIA), which it owns and operates.
He added that Batik Air Malaysia has been chosen as the operator for the KUL-ISG route, with flights expected to start in October 2023.
"We also discussed defence cooperation, which saw Turkiye's Defence Industry Agency sending a large delegation to participate in the recent Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition," said Anwar.
"I expressed admiration for Turkiye's defence technology advancements and the potential benefits for Malaysia from close cooperation with Turkiye. Therefore, I have agreed in principle to finalise a memorandum of understanding on defence cooperation soon," he added
Also present during the virtual meeting was Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir.
Malaysia's trade volume with Turkiye was US4.62bil (RM21.04bil) in 2022, a 12.6% increase, with a trade surplus of US3.33bil (RM15.17bil) following Turkiye's imports of palm oil and palm oil-based agricultural products.
On another matter, Anwar said he also reaffirmed the unity government's strong stance against violence and its refusal to compromise with any party involved in terrorism in the country.
"I also took the opportunity to inform President Erdogan about Malaysia's efforts to combat Islamophobia, including the condemnation of the burning of the Quran in Sweden," he said.
Anwar added that he strongly condemned such an act, which hides behind the freedom of speech narrative promoted by the West.
"In response, Malaysia pledged to donate a million copies of the Quran worldwide, including 15,000 copies with translations in Swedish to address Western misconceptions about Islam," he said.
