Turkiye Hails ASEAN As Positive Partner, Eyes Stronger Ties In Trade, Investment

By Noor Bakthtiar Ahmad

KUALA LUMPUR, July 11 (Bernama) -- Turkiye considers ASEAN a key partner in its growing regional diplomacy and economic outreach in the region, describing the bloc as one with which it enjoys “a 100 per cent positive agenda”.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan highlighted Turkiye’s intention to deepen engagement with ASEAN through trade, investment and people-to-people ties.

“Turkiye has no problem with ASEAN countries. And that gives us a huge opportunity to advance on a positive agenda.

"So, we are here to explore opportunities for both sides,” he said on Bernama TV’s The Nation: Diplomatic Dispatch current affairs programme, titled "Malaysia, Turkiye and the ASEAN Outlook", aired on Friday.

Fidan noted that Turkiye’s business interest in ASEAN is growing, with investments and economic engagements increasing in recent years.

“They’ve been increasing the level of engagement and investment in ASEAN countries. This is a big plus for us and vice versa,” he said.

He added that social interaction, tourism and student exchanges are also seeing “skyrocketing numbers” from both sides.

“Turkish people are increasingly showing interest in ASEAN countries, and people from ASEAN countries are also coming to Turkiye as tourists,” he said.

Fidan said several Turkish factories are exploring relocation to the ASEAN region to tap into export-import advantages, underlining the region's growing appeal for Turkiye’s industries seeking strategic footholds abroad.

The Turkish top diplomat is currently in Kuala Lumpur for high-level talks held in conjunction with the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) and related meetings at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC).

Turkiye has been an ASEAN Sectoral Dialogue Partner since 2017.

The 58th AMM and related meetings, which began on Tuesday, are being held under Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship for 2025, with the theme “Inclusivity and Sustainability”.

More than 1,500 delegates from ASEAN and its external partners are participating in 24 ministerial-level meetings over four days.

This is the fifth time Malaysia has held the ASEAN chairmanship throughout its history as a member of the regional bloc, having previously chaired it in 1977, 1997, 2005 and 2015.

-- BERNAMA