SEPANG, Feb 10– Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his wife, Emine Erdogan, arrived in Malaysia today for a two-day working visit.

Their plane landed at the Bunga Raya Complex, Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), at 2.31 pm, where they were welcomed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his wife, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, along with Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin and Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

The visit aims to strengthen Malaysia-Turkiye ties, elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) in July 2022.

Tomorrow, an official welcoming ceremony will take place at Perdana Putra, Putrajaya, followed by a meeting with Anwar to discuss CSP progress in areas like trade, investment, defense, energy, disaster management, health, and technology.

After bilateral meetings, both leaders will witness the signing of memorandums of understanding (MoUs) and hold a joint press conference.

They will also exchange views on regional and global issues, including Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025, the Antalya Diplomacy Forum 2025, Islamophobia, and the Gaza ceasefire agreement.

Erdogan will conclude his visit by attending a Business Forum at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC).

In 2024, Turkiye became Malaysia’s third-largest trading partner, top export destination, and fourth-largest import source in the Middle East, with trade between the two countries growing by 18.7%, reaching RM24.13 billion (US$5.28 billion).