KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 14- The two-day visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Malaysia is not just a diplomatic move but a comprehensive strategy that brings great benefits to the people of Malaysia.

The visit, which is part of his tour of Asia, reflects the determination of both countries in strengthening economic and social relations and at the same time, enhancing the nations' resilience to face current geopolitical challenges.

In conjunction with the influential leader's official visit, 11 MoUs were signed between Kuala Lumpur and Ankara. This is towards strengthening cooperation in various sectors. Among them are trade and defense.

Why is there so much emphasis on trade? It is simply because Malaysia and Turkiye has great potential in strengthening trade relations at the global level. Both countries are situated at strategic locations that links between Asean and Europe.

Looking at the world map, Turkiye is in the middle between Asean and the European region, meanwhile Malaysia is in the middle among Southeast Asian countries. This opens up opportunities for both parties to further expand the economic market.

As the ASEAN Chairman this year, it is best to take the opportunity to increase cooperation with Turkiye, in efforts to make Malaysia a trading hub in Europe. On that occasion, Malaysia's invitation to Turkiye as an ASEAN dialogue partner was timely.

According to the Prime Minister, the proposal was made since Ankara is considered a major global player that plays an important role in various international issues. Turkiye's participation in ASEAN is seen as being able to create a more balanced mechanism in the context of regional defense and security.

What else is special about Turkiye? The Turkish government is not calculative over Malaysia, for instance, in sharing technology and expertise. The country's second largest airport, Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport, is managed by Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB).

It is proof of trust and confidence in the Malaysian airport authorities. In addition, the MoU signed in the area of disaster and emergency management indicates that the country's disaster management expertise is highly regarded by the republic.

It was made possible following the presence of the MyTeam Relief search and rescue team to assist the country during the earthquake disaster in Gaziantep two years ago. This represents a very important strategic partner at the global level.

In fact, many more collaborations have been formed, covering various sectors and fields, driven by mutual interests and complementary advantages. Year after year, the strategic partnership has borne fruit.

With this success, it is not surprising that Turkiye aims to double its trade with Malaysia to 10 billion dollars after surpassing the 5 billion mark last year. For the record, in 2024, Turkiye is Malaysia's third largest trading partner.

Making it a major export destination, as well as the fourth largest source of imports among West Asian countries. Total trade between Malaysia and Turkiye recorded 24.13 billion Ringgit in 2024. An increase of 18.7 percent compared to 2023.

Turkiye's role as a unifier of the Islamic world and its experience in the defense, diplomacy, health and transportation industries, combined with Malaysia's intellectual capabilities in the fields of Islam, science, technology and economics, may bring about important contributions to the development and prosperity of both countries.

The good relations and close cooperation between the two countries are continuously emphasized through areas pertaining to the Palestinian issue, Islamophobia, human rights, humanitarian crises and various initiatives under the OIC and the Group of Eight Developing Countries (D-8).

It is hoped that the close cooperation between Malaysia and Turkiye will be continuously maintained and positively developed, besides being an examplry model of international cooperation. As the old saying goes, true friends know no distance, only loyalty will result in successful cooperation.

This edition of Editor's Pick is prepared by Nik Hafizul Baharuddin and tanslated by Aida Tahir.