ANKARA, Jan 8 — Malaysia and Turkiye have agreed to elevate bilateral ties into a High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC) to accelerate trade, investment and economic collaboration amid growing global uncertainties, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Anwar in a joint press statement with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan here yesterday, said the move reflected strong mutual trust and confidence between both countries, as enhanced cooperation would go beyond traditional trade to include new growth areas such as technology, defence, education, research and Islamic finance.

“..and therefore, we realise that bias platitudes, friendship is inadequate in this world full of uncertainties which actually requires new policies, particularly to enhance trade, investments, and collaboration in all fields.

“So thank you, for agreeing to enhance our cooperation into a high-level strategic cooperation council and on behalf of Malaysia, I must state that this is rare, it’s not many countries that we have this sort of collaboration with,” he said.

Anwar is on a three-day official visit to Turkiye at the invitation of Erdogan, which began yesterday.

Earlier, Anwar and Erdogan co-chaired the inaugural Malaysia-Turkiye HLSCC meeting.

Anwar said both countries should act swiftly to translate commitments into tangible outcomes, stressing that conventional bureaucratic processes were insufficient in an increasingly competitive and uncertain global environment.

“We have to act fast. No amount of normal bureaucratic arrangements can work in this very competitive and uncertain world,” he said.

Anwar said cooperation should also be expanded beyond traditional sectors into new disciplines, including educational and research collaboration, supported by institutional mechanisms between the two countries.

He also highlighted Malaysia’s defence cooperation with Turkiye, particularly in government-to government procurement involving naval and aerospace assets, which he said had benefited Malaysia while introducing new collaboration principles anchored on good governance and transparency.

Touching on international issues, Anwar reaffirmed Malaysia’s support for Turkiye’s efforts to address regional and global challenges, particularly the situation in Palestine and Gaza.

He condemned the continued Israeli actions in Gaza, describing them as a total abandonment for moral principles, total disregard for humanity and justice, and said Malaysia would continue to support initiatives aimed at defending oppressed communities.

“We will certainly do our best to support your venture and I’ve seen your initiative, which is I think unrivalled in terms of your initiative to support and help those being oppressed.

“Similarly, in some of the issues affecting the world, we need a moral voice. We need a voice of conscience and leadership. The world of politics is facing a deficit in terms of moral and ethical values,” he said.

The Prime Minister added that Malaysia remained committed to strengthening its partnership with Turkiye as a model of meaningful bilateral relations built on trust, shared values and practical cooperation across multiple sectors. — Bernama