KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 21 — Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin welcomed a working visit from the Minister of National Defence of the Republic of Türkiye Yaşar Güler yesterday.

This visit was to reciprocate Khaled’s first official visit to Ankara on June 11, 2024.

The purpose of this visit is to strengthen the long-standing defence relationship between Malaysia and Türkiye, which has been in place since the establishment of bilateral defence co-operation in 1985.

Both leaders had a productive discussion and reaffirmed their commitment to deepening bilateral defence co-operation, particularly in military-to-military co-operation and defence science, technology, and industry.

During the visit, several important commitments were emphasised, including the strengthening and expansion of bilateral defence co-operation through a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

The new MoU will facilitate both ministries and armed forces in a wide range of co-operation domains. Both leaders agreed to expedite the conclusion of the new MoU by the end of 2024.

The two countries also explored new opportunities to collaborate on the interoperability and readiness level of the two armed forces in all domains, namely land, sea, air, cyber, artificial intelligence and intelligence sharing.

Khaled also accompanied Güler to Seri Perdana Complex in Putrajaya for a courtesy call on the Malaysian prime minister.

During the visit, Malaysia and Türkiye exchanged views on various issues, especially bilateral relations. They also discussed ongoing conflicts, particularly in the Middle East.

This official visit by the Minister of National Defence Türkiye reflected a strong bond of bilateral defence between the two countries by demonstrating the Credible Partnerships defined by the Third Pillar of the National Defence Strategy in Malaysia’s Defence White Paper (DWP).