Political Relations:

Diplomatic relations between Turkey and Malaysia were established in 1964. Both countries enjoy a broad-based and close partnership.

On 10 January 2014, the then Prime Minister H.E. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak declared the elevation of Turkey-Malaysia relationship to the level of Strategic Partnership, which is the result of the progress achieved since the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries, as well as the depth of political, economic, and cultural ties.

Being members to the UN, the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation and the D-8, Turkey and Malaysia share a common perspective on a broad range of regional and global issues.

The Free Trade Agreement between Turkey and Malaysia, which was signed during the then- Prime Minister Najib Razak’s visit to Turkey in April 2014, came into force on 1 August 2015 and constitutes the first ever FTA that Turkey concluded with an ASEAN member. The negotiations for the expansion of the FTA to include e-commerce, services and investments are ongoing and revised FTA is expected to be signed in 2022.

Reaching over 3,5 billion USD, bilateral trade volume in 2021 increased almost 50% on year-on-year basis.

Some 400 Malaysian citizens currently reside in Turkey. The current number of Turkish citizens residing in Malaysia is around 500. Under Türkiye Scholarships, hitherto 266 Malaysian students have been awarded higher education scholarships in Turkish universities.

Economic and Trade Relations: