PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia and Turkiye have exchanged 11 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) to enhance cooperation in various sectors, in conjunction with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's official visit to Malaysia from Feb 10-11.

The documents were exchanged in the presence of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and President Erdogan, covering key areas such as energy transition, disaster management, defence, trade and media collaboration.

Among the notable agreements is the MoU on cooperation in the energy transition, exchanged between Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof and Turkiye's Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar.

In the field of disaster management, the National Disaster Management Agency exchanged an MoU with Turkiye's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority, while both countries also formalised a pact on diplomatic training.

Furthering scientific collaboration, Malaysia's Sultan Mizan Antarctic Research Foundation and Turkiye's Polar Research Institute under the Scientific and Technological Research Council (TUBITAK) exchanged an MoU on Antarctic and Arctic research.

Defence cooperation took a significant step forward with the exchange of two agreements.

The first focused on government-to-government procurement and the establishment of a Joint Committee for Defence Products, exchanged between Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin and Turkiye's Secretary of Defence Industries Prof Haluk Gorgun.

The second, involving strategic communication systems, was exchanged between Malaysia's National Security Council and Turkiye's Defence Industries Secretariat.

Additionally, the Selangor Aviation and Technology Innovation SB partnered with Turkiye's Defence Industries Secretariat for smart city, traffic and security system solutions, with the MoU exchanged by Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari.

On the trade front, Malaysia's Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living and Turkiye's Ministry of Trade exchanged an MoU focusing on consumer protection, market surveillance and inspection.

Furthermore, Malaysia's Ministry of Home Affairs exchanged an agreement for the procurement of a multi-purpose mission ship for the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency from Turkiye's Desan Shipyard.

In the media sector, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission exchanged an MoU with Turkiye's Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTUK) on audiovisual media services.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) and Anadolu Ajansi formalised an agreement on information and communications cooperation, strengthening bilateral media ties.

The exchange of these MoUs underscores the growing partnership between Malaysia and Turkiye, reflecting both nations' commitment to deepening strategic, economic and cultural ties.

In 2024, Turkiye was Malaysia's third-largest trading partner, largest export destination and fourth-largest import source among West Asia countries.

The total trade between Malaysia and Turkiye was recorded at RM24.13 billion (USD5.28 billion) in 2024, an 18.7 per cent increase from 2023.

-- BERNAMA