After a busy domestic schedule, President Recept Tayyip Erdogan sets out on a trip abroad in a few weeks on a tour of Asia from three countries. From February 10th to February 13th, Erdogan will visit Malaysia, Indonesia and Pakistan. Erdogan’s conference in these countries will focus on strengthening cooperation in a variety of areas, from the Palestinian-Israel conflict to the Syrian situation. Just like the Russian-Ukraine conflict.
Erdogan’s first stop was in Malaysia, and he last visited in 2019. The visit brought new momentum to Türkiye-Malaysia relations. Malaysia, a member of the Islamic Cooperative Organization (OIC), joined the Gaza Liaison Group of Top Diplomats along with Torkiye to find a diplomatic solution to stop Israeli attacks on the Palestinian enclave.
Malaysia also maintains close cooperation with Türkiye in the defense industry, particularly interested in the maritime defense products produced by Turkish companies. Turkish leading defense company STM signed a memorandum of understanding last year for Malaysia to purchase three Corvette warships from Turkey. The ship will be delivered to the Malaysian Navy within three and a half years, with a length of 100 meters (328.08 feet), displacement of 2,500 tons, a maximum speed of 26 knots, a helicopter landing platform, and a capacity of over 100 people.
Malaysia is also a member of the D-8. International organizations founded in Istanbul in 1997 include Türkiye, Iran, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Egypt and Nigeria. Furthermore, it is an important partner and is the 2025 Chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Countries (ASEAN), which has been the pinnacle of by Türkiye since 2013. In 2014, it signed the first free trade agreement between ASEAN member states and Türkiye. This agreement covers services, investments and e-commerce. Over the years, Türkiye has seen an increase in trade and investment partners in Asian countries, with commercial collaborations expanding, particularly in the aerospace industry, chemical production and food production. For the past decade, Türkiye has received important visitors from Malaysia in 2022, including the King of Malaysia.
In Indonesia, Erdogan could focus on consultations to increase trade volumes on both sides from around $1.5 billion to $10 billion. Both countries have high-level councils and enjoy particularly rigorous cooperation in education. Türkiye hosts around 4,500 Indonesian university students. Erdogan’s visit will also focus on economic, cultural, safety and technological cooperation.
Türkiye and the Indonesian defense company have already signed a contract to produce 18 tanks for the Indonesian Army. Ten of these are manufactured in Türkiye, while others are manufactured in Indonesia.
Erdogan’s final halt was in Pakistan, whose relationship with Tarkie reached its highest level under the Turkish president’s consecutive tenure. The two countries have specifically increased cooperation in the defense industry and have been signed into deals on the acquisition of naval vessels and non-black and white aircraft (UAVs). Pakistan was the first country to sign a contract to purchase Türkiye’s nationally-built naval vessels as part of the Milgem (National Ship) project.
In 2019, Türkiye launched a new Asian initiative to strengthen relations with Asian countries. According to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it aims to exploit the potential opportunities for cooperation with Asian countries. The initiative covers policies based on common interests and objectives through regional, regional and country-specific approaches.
