Turkish FM bolsters ties with ASEAN partners in Kuala Lumpur
KUALA LUMPUR
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on July 11 called for deeper cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), citing shared challenges and strategic interests between Türkiye and the Asia-Pacific bloc.
“Türkiye stands ready to support ASEAN’s 2045 vision for a resilient, inclusive, and sustainable community,” he said.
The Turkish foreign minister also reaffirmed his country’s commitment to strengthening ties under all three pillars of the ASEAN Community and called for support to elevate Türkiye’s status to a full dialogue partner.
Speaking at the 7th Türkiye-ASEAN Trilateral Meeting on Sectoral Dialogue Partnership in Kuala Lumpur, Fidan said the gathering offered a “timely opportunity” to assess the current state of relations and reflect on common goals.
Fidan underscored the importance of cooperation with ASEAN, describing both Türkiye and ASEAN as strategically located and economically significant actors in their respective regions.
“ASEAN ranks among the world’s top five largest economies and is a model of regional integration,” he said.
“Türkiye is the 17th largest economy globally and one of the fastest-growing among OECD countries.”
Bilateral trade between Türkiye and ASEAN surpassed $15.7 billion last year, according to Fidan, highlighting what he called the “scale of existing potential.”
Türkiye established institutional relations and signed the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, one of ASEAN's founding documents, in 2010, before becoming a sectoral dialogue partner in 2017.
Fidan was received by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Kuala Lumpur.
According to sources from the Turkish Foreign Ministry, the discussions touched on bilateral political and economic matters, along with cooperation in the defense industry.
The ministry shared details of the meetings on its X social media account.Fidan also participated in the Seventh Trilateral Meeting of the Türkiye-ASEAN Sectoral Dialogue Partnership.
During the session, ASEAN indicated it is considering elevating Türkiye to full dialogue partner status in the near future, highlighting growing relations between the two sides.
On the sidelines, Fidan held talks with his Malaysian counterpart, Mohamad Hasan. He also met with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Brunei's Second Minister of Foreign Affairs, Erywan Yusof.
