ASEAN, Turkiye Must Speak With One Voice On Gaza, Global Conflicts - Malaysia's FM

KUALA LUMPUR, July 11 (Bernama) -- Describing ASEAN and Turkiye as “natural partners” in championing multilateralism, peace, justice and humanity, Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan stressed the need for both to speak with one voice on pressing international crises especially the grave situation in Gaza.

“As principled and responsible members of the international community, we should lend our collective voices towards advocating a peaceful and just resolution to conflicts around the world, including the dire situation in Gaza,” he said in his remarks at the Trilateral Meeting Between Malaysia, Turkiye and the ASEAN Secretariat, here Friday.

The meeting was held in conjunction with the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) and related meetings, hosted by Malaysia under its ASEAN Chairmanship for 2025.

ASEAN currently comprises 10 member states: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Mohamad said ASEAN and Turkiye must call for Israel to be held accountable for its unrelenting violations of international law.

“Impunity has emboldened it to attack other countries, and it will continue to destabilise the region and beyond if left unchecked,” he said.

On the trilateral relationship between Malaysia, Turkiye and ASEAN, Mohamad said since the establishment of the ASEAN–Turkiye Sectoral Dialogue Partnership in 2017, the partnership had grown steadily, grounded in shared goals of peace, economic resilience and people-to-people connectivity.

He said the Practical Cooperation Areas (PCA) 2024–2028 had provided a forward-looking framework to deepen collaboration in several key areas including political-security cooperation, trade and digital economy, education, disaster management and sustainable development.

In further consolidating the partnership, he said Malaysia welcomed the expansion of defence industry cooperation as well as technology transfers.

Mohamad said economic relations were set to grow even further, with collaborations through the Turkiye-ASEAN Business and Investment Forum, and its support for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) development and innovation partnerships.

“Turkiye’s experience in the realm of e-governance can be a great source of expertise in advancing digital integration, diversifying supply chains, and building collective resilience, and help us navigate current geo-economic challenges,” he said.

On the socio-cultural front, he said initiatives such as the Turkiye Scholarships–ASEAN Joint Scholarship Programme, training for ASEAN diplomats, and proposed cooperation in technical and vocational education and digital skills development would reinforce people-to-people links and nurture lasting cross-cultural ties.

--BERNAMA