KUALA LUMPUR, May 14 — Turkiye Navy corvette TCG Kinaliada’s visit to Malaysia, the first in almost over a decade shows the close ties between Malaysia and Turkiye, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said.

Such ties has brought about bilateral cooperation in various fields including defence, he added.

"Yesterday I had a chance to visit and see the TCG Kinaliada at Port Klang. I took the opportunity to witness the presence of the Turkish Navy here in their first visit after almost a decade,” he said in a Facebook post tonight.

The setting up of Tusas Malaysia Sdn Bhd , a Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc subsidiary in Cyberjaya has provided job opportunities to over 100 Malaysian engineers to serve and gain knowledge in the military sector, which was a result of close bilateral ties, he said.

"Besides this, the value of trade between Malaysia and Turkiye has also reached US$4.46 bilion (RM21 billion), which has great potential for growth.

"I’m convinced that the ties that we have fostered will continue to grow and will be the key to shared prosperity,” he said.

The Turkiye Navy corvette TCG Kinaliada docked in Malaysia yesterday and will be in the country for three days before continuing its journey to Japan to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Turkiye-Japan diplomatic ties. — Bernama