President Erdogan arrives in Malaysia, personally received by PM

SEPANG: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has arrived in Malaysia to undertake a two-day official visit to the country.

Erdogan, accompanied by First Lady Emine, landed at the Bunga Raya Complex of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) here at 2.10 pm today.

Their arrival was personally received by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

Also present to greet the Turkish delegation were Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin and Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

Erdogan then inspected a guard of honour consisting of 28 officers and men from the First Battalion of the Royal Ranger Regiment (Ceremonial) before proceeding to the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC) with Anwar.

According to the Foreign Ministry, Erdogan's visit reaffirms the solid relations between the two nations which continue to advance, premised on long-standing ties, particularly following the elevation of relations to the level of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) in July 2022.

Malaysia, as the ASEAN chair in 2025, has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening regional integration and fostering partnerships beyond the region.

Turkiye, as a Sectoral Dialogue Partner of ASEAN, is well positioned to play a crucial role in advancing ASEAN's economic priorities.

Turkiye became an ASEAN Sectoral Dialogue Partner in 2017, with the ASEAN-Turkiye Practical Cooperation Areas (2024-2028) serving as a framework for strategic collaborations between ASEAN and Turkiye.

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

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