Turkish president, Malaysia's king meet in Ankara for talks

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday welcomed Malaysia’s King Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah with an official ceremony at the presidential complex in the capital Ankara.

The leaders will hold one-on-one talks, and later Erdogan will give an official dinner in honor of the king.

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 Turkish presidency said in a statement.

“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,” the statement read.

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).

The Malaysian king and Queen Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah will be in Türkiye until Aug. 21.