ISTANBUL: Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi will begin a working visit to Turkiye tomorrow in conjunction with the 2026 TRT World Forum, scheduled for Nov 6 and 7.
Malaysian ambassador to Turkiye Adlan Mohd Shaffieq said the visit, which runs until Nov 8, would include a meeting with Turkish Vice-President Cevdet Yilmaz.
“The deputy prime minister will take part as a panellist at the forum, which Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will officiate.
“Zahid will also meet his counterpart from Lebanon, Tarek Mitri, at the Istanbul Convention Centre, where the TRT World Forum will be held,” he said at a press conference in conjunction with Zahid’s visit today.
Zahid will deliver a speech at the forum in a session titled “Turkiye, From Regional Power to Multi-Regional Actor”, which focuses on Turkiye’s role in the geopolitical landscape and its ties to regional and international developments.
The TRT World Forum is an international platform that brings together political leaders, policymakers, academics and civil society representatives to discuss global issues and approaches to shared challenges.
Malaysian figures who have previously participated in the forum include Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in 2018 and 2019, former international trade and industry minister Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz in 2019, and public health expert Professor Dr Jemilah Mahmood in 2020.
Meanwhile, Adlan said Zahid would attend a roundtable with the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (Seta), a leading Turkish think tank specialising in foreign and security policy, on Saturday.
He said the engagement would follow up on the memorandum of understanding signed between Seta and the Institute of Strategic and International Studies Malaysia during Anwar’s visit to Turkiye in January.
“This meeting will build on that agreement, with discussions expected to focus on geo-economics and geopolitics, particularly current developments,” he said.
Adlan said Zahid, who is also rural and regional development minister, is scheduled to witness the signing of letters of collaboration (LoCs) between Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) and Sabanci University and Yildiz Technical University, which 17 Mara-sponsored students will also attend.
“The main focus of these LoCs is to promote technical and vocational education and training (TVET). This is a very positive development.
“Turkiye’s Higher Education Minister Yusuf Tekin, who also oversees TVET in the country, will pay a courtesy call on the deputy prime minister,” he said.
Malaysia and Turkiye established diplomatic relations on June 17, 1964, and have since maintained close ties in various fields, including politics, economy, trade and education.
Bilateral trade between the two countries now stands at US$5.6 billion, with Anwar and Erdogan agreeing in January to raise it to US$10 billion by 2030.
Malaysia is Turkiye’s largest trading partner in Southeast Asia.