ISTANBUL: Turkey has expressed interest in becoming a dialogue partner at the 2025 ASEAN Summit to be held in Kuala Lumpur in May and September, says Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.
He said the interest was conveyed by Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz during a courtesy call in Ankara on Tuesday, held as part of his two-day official working visit to the republic.
Fadillah, who is also Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation, said Turkiye hoped Malaysia, as ASEAN chair this year, could support the aspiration.
“To become a dialogue partner, Turkiye must secure consensus from all ASEAN member states. I will personally convey the request to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for discussion at the ASEAN leadership level. If there is agreement, Turkiye will certainly be invited,” he said.
He added that Turkiye could be considered for participation in the business segment of the ASEAN Energy Ministers’ Meeting in September, even if consensus on formal partnership has yet to be reached.
“We may invite them to present or participate on a business basis, not as a Dialogue Partner but as an entity involved in the forum. That’s something we can likely accommodate,” he told Bernama in Ankara last night (Apr 22).
On the meeting with Yilmaz, Fadillah said Turkiye had also expressed interest in Malaysia’s preparations in response to United States tariffs and in addressing broader economic challenges.
He said Malaysia was keen to learn from Turkiye’s expertise in energy, technology and water management.
“In the energy context, we are exploring closer cooperation, particularly learning from Turkiye’s approach to increasing energy trade and exchange within Europe,” he said.
Turkiye is among the leading producers of renewable energy in Europe and globally, with more than 50 per cent of its electricity generated from clean sources including solar, hydroelectric and geothermal.
Fadillah said Yilmaz also expressed a desire to reduce the trade deficit between both countries and to deepen government-to-government, business-to-business and people-to-people ties, including through cultural and student exchange programmes.
“They are also looking to elevate the existing high-level committee to include ministerial representation. Our embassy is currently working with their Turkish counterparts to finalise the details,” he said. –BERNAMA
