As Malaysia celebrates its 65th National Day on Aug. 31, this year’s celebration comes at a very special time in the history of diplomacy between Malaysia and the Republic of Türkiye.

On Oct. 29, 2023, Türkiye will be commemorating the centennial of the formation of the republic. This will be the day when Turks of all walks of life will look back on their nation’s history and take stock of all her achievements. At the same time, the younger generation will peek into the future with the fervent hope of progress in this historic 83 million modern nation-state.

Nation-states have been the bedrock of political-economic entities since 1648 after the Peace of Westphalia. Ever since then, communities in Europe to Asia have embraced this form of government with geographically defined areas and borders that have promulgated into 193 nations across the globe. These political entities are the dominant political structure for the foreseeable future.

In 2024, Malaysia and Türkiye will be celebrating their 60th year of diplomatic relations. Both are two modern and progressive nations among the community of nations that have definitive culture, values and geographical locations that epitomize a progressive Muslim country. Both countries have strong political linkages and economic exchanges with increasing people-to-people contacts.

This year is marked by many new developments. The official visit by Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob in July and the state visit by his majesty Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah and her majesty Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah, the king and queen of Malaysia, to Türkiye in August are symbols of the ever-growing political, economic and cultural relations between Malaysia and the Republic of Türkiye.

Our leaders have exchanged their highest national awards in recognition of the leadership of the two countries and also conducted discussions to identify new fields of cooperation. In fact, relations with Türkiye have been elevated to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) which signifies monumental progress in bilateral relations.

The elevation of relations to CSP opens doors to newer and more extensive government-to-government, corporation-to-corporation and people-to-people connections that both nations should endeavor to explore.

Islamic finance

There is much both countries can explore in the field of Islamic finance. Malaysia has been focusing on developing Islamic finance as the country sees potential in providing financial services to complement conventional banking and finance. Today, Islamic finance is an integral component of the Malaysian financial system as banks offer all sorts of services within this scope. Its importance cannot be understated. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) views Islamic finance as an innovative financing modality to assist developing countries in funding development projects to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

At the same time, Malaysia and Türkiye are members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and both nations have vibrant and strong economies that can be leveraged in providing the Islamic world with suitable finances for the progress of the Muslim ummah. Malaysia’s competitive advantage in the halal economy allows Islamic finance players to expand their footprint across Asia and OIC countries through halal trade and investment facilitation, including market expansion and the offering of ancillary services.

Islamic finance has the potential to provide much-needed sustainable financing for the OIC world that needs an estimated $1 trillion to $2 trillion to implement various projects under the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals.

Trade and economic ties

Malaysia and Türkiye have extensive trade and economic relations. Both countries continue to explore stronger trade and economic ties to reach the targeted $5 billion in trade volume.

Both countries signed the Malaysia-Türkiye Free Trade Agreement (MTFTA) in 2014 and are in negotiations to expand the MTFTA to include newer fields such as services, investment and e-commerce. These fields would further strengthen economic cooperation in both countries.

Being part of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCE), Malaysia continues to achieve trade growth reaching a total of $60 billion in trade in June 2022. The growth shows that Malaysia is seen as a hub and doorway into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Asian market of 2.2 billion people.

Notwithstanding, Türkiye has also seen a surge in export growth. In June, Türkiye reached new heights in exports exceeding $250 billion for 2022. This increase did not go unnoticed, in fact, it is a factor that many countries see and are attracted to, including Malaysia. Similarly, Malaysian companies also see Türkiye as the gateway to Europe, North Africa and the Balkans. Malaysia also has been supporting Türkiye’s manufacturers in increasing their exports by supplying intermediate goods such as palm oil, oleochemicals and rubber products.

Seeing the ever-growing potential in trade and economic cooperation, both countries are in talks to introduce currency swaps as a mechanism to entice more businesses and corporate engagements. With these mechanisms in place, trade, economy and investment are expected to grow as both countries venture deeper into the digital economy including lucrative e-commerce.

Cooperation in defense

While Malaysia continues to register growth in trade and investment, it has also invited Turkish companies to explore the potential of developing defense and security equipment and technology. This field is an important one that Malaysia is looking at as it supports its national defense in maintaining its territorial sovereignty and in the protection of its people in a world where regional and international security is becoming ever more important.

Malaysia has been an important user of Turkish defense equipment. Today, the Malaysian Army parades an array of armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles, such as the Adnan and Gempita, that are sourced from Türkiye. Turkish developed night vision equipment that turns the darkness of night into day has been used by the Malaysian Army since the 1990s.

Such cooperation would benefit both parties as Malaysia intends to develop and manufacture defense equipment and share such technology with its partners. This win-win formula would be even more worthwhile when Malaysian and Turkish companies collaborate and are able to market their products in the Asia-Pacific region.

Tourism and education

Bilateral visits and people-to-people contact are the most important elements in strengthening relations between two countries. The strengthening of relations should not just be limited to the government, it must also be in the interest of its people as well. In this effort, Turkish Airlines has an extensive number of flights to Malaysia. The airline flies daily to Malaysia, carrying many interested parties back and forth.

While many people don’t see it, without a doubt tourism is the catalyst of political, economic and educational interactions between nations. The peoples of Malaysia and Türkiye are not excluded.

It is through people-to-people exchanges and visits that friendships are forged and discoveries are made. Türkiye continues to be one of the most popular destinations for many Malaysians. If you ask a Malaysian a destination to visit, make no mistake, Türkiye would be one of the countries that will be mentioned.

History cannot be written without people-to-people contacts and exchanges. Within this context, Malaysia is also an important tourist destination. In 2019, the country received 26.1 million foreign tourists. The Asian country has many attractive destinations such as the white sandy beaches of Langkawi, the crystal-clear waters off the coast of Mabul Island in Sabah popular for scuba diving and the deep green jungles of the Mulu National Park in Sarawak for the adventurer to explore. While the outbreak of COVID-19 has affected this industry tremendously, Malaysia is on the road to recovery.

Tourism and education go hand in hand. One field certainly affects the other and vice-versa. There are 284 Malaysians who are studying in Türkiye, while the number is slightly lower when it comes to Turkish students, with 148 studying at various higher institutions of education in Malaysia. The number of students is important as both nations work towards strengthening relations and enhancing cultural understanding.

There are many Malaysian universities that are looking for partners to collaborate with in scientific research and social studies. There should be more ventures in the fields of study that can be institutionalized and forged. History, economics, Islamic finance and the sciences of medicine and engineering are just a few of the fields worth looking into.

The Malaysian government took the initiative to recognize 208 Turkish universities as announced by Prime Minister Ismail during his official visit in July. Malaysian students in Türkiye have welcomed this announcement as it will provide more opportunities in the education sector and spur more collaborations between universities from both countries.

I would encourage both countries to solidify their work on this. The 21st century is called the "Asian Century" for good reason. Malaysia and Türkiye are both Asian nations that have strong historical connections that can serve as the mold for greater cooperation by inculcating interest in people from both sides.

In conclusion, what has been illustrated in this article is just the tip of the iceberg. The potential for stronger relations between Malaysia and Türkiye can be seen in many fields. The challenge now is for the current generation of leaders and people to be curious enough to dare to explore and discover.

What is clear is that the 65th Malaysian National Day in 2022 is a special one as it highlights the strengthening of bilateral relations between the two peoples of the two countries, which have been reinforced by our leaders of today.