Malaysia's king, queen due in Türkiye to 'crown' bilateral ties

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) – Malaysia’s King Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah will arrive in Türkiye on an official visit on Monday.

The Malaysian king and Queen Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah will be in Türkiye at President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s invitation from Aug. 15 until Aug. 21.

This will be the “first visit from Malaysia to Türkiye at the Head of State level after nearly 30 years and will crown our bilateral relations,” the Communications Directorate​​​​​​​ of Türkiye said in a statement on Sunday.

“High-level talks with Malaysia have gained momentum within the context of our relations, which get stronger and stronger in almost every area on the basis of friendship, mutual trust and the interests of our respective peoples,” read the statement.

Diplomatic relations between Türkiye and Malaysia were established in 1964.

The countries signed a free trade agreement in 2014, which was Türkiye’s first with a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Bilateral relations were “raised to the level of ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’ during Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Bin Yaakob’s visit to Türkiye” this July, the statement added.