Ankara,January 8 (AseanAll) — Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim paid an official visit to the Republic of Türkiye from 6 to 8 January 2026, at the invitation of President of the Republic of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The visit is to reciprocate the official visit of President Erdoğan to Malaysia in February 2025.
Photo source: Prime Minister's Office of Malaysia
The Malaysian Prime Minister was accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs Dato’ Seri Utama Haji Mohamad bin Haji Hasan; Minister of Higher Education Senator Dato' Seri Diraja Dr. Zambry bin Abd Kadir; Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Datuk Seri Johari bin Abdul Ghani and senior government officials.
On 7 January 2026 at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, the Prime Minister and President Erdoğan had a four-eye meeting to discuss bilateral cooperation as well as regional and international issues of mutual concern.
Photo source: Anwar Ibrahim Facebook
Following the four-eye meeting, both leaders co-chaired the inaugural Malaysia–Türkiye High-Level Strategic Council (HLSC). The HLSC serves as a platform to review bilateral cooperation, assess ongoing initiatives, and explore new avenues of collaboration. Discussions covered trade and investment, agriculture and commodities, defence, security, energy, semiconductor, health, tourism, education and people-to-people exchange, as well as regional and international matters.
Both Leaders also witnessed the exchange of several key documents, including Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cooperation in the Field of Information and Communication Technologies; MoU on Cooperation between the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) and the Investment and Finance Office of the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye; MoU on Cooperation between EXIM Bank Malaysia and Turk Eximbank; Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation between the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia and the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA); and Letter of Acceptance for the Procurement of One (1) Unit of Multi-Purpose Mission Ship (MPMS) 2.
Photo source: Anwar Ibrahim Facebook
As part of the programme, the Prime Minister participated in a Business Roundtable Meeting with leading Turkish industry captains to promote trade and investment opportunities in Malaysia. He also delivered a public lecture entitled “Power Shift: Strategic Choices for Malaysia and Türkiye” in collaboration with Türkiye’s leading think-tank, SETA, outlining Malaysia’s foreign policy priorities and exploring avenues for aligned cooperation with Türkiye.
The official visit underscores Malaysia’s ongoing commitment to deepening ties with the Republic of Türkiye, following the elevation of bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in July 2022.
From January to November 2025, Malaysia’s total trade with Türkiye amounted to RM21.2 billion (USD4.92 billion). The Republic of Türkiye continues to be an important economic partner for Malaysia. In 2024, Türkiye was Malaysia’s third largest trading partner, largest export destination, and fourth largest import source among West Asia countries with total trade valued at RM24.15 billion (USD5.28 billion).
