Malaysia and Turkiye raise bilateral trade target to US$10 billion by 2030
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed trade and wider cooperation during talks in Istanbul.
Malaysia and Turkiye have agreed on a US$10 billion bilateral trade target for 2030, up from the US$5.6 billion target for 2025, Bernama reported. The agreement came during talks in Istanbul between Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The leaders met for 30 minutes after Erdogan opened the TRT World Forum 2026. Their trade discussions followed the creation of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC), whose first meeting took place in Ankara in January.
Ahmad Zahid also discussed Malaysia’s commitment to broadening ASEAN-Turkiye cooperation as the coordinating country for those relations. Turkiye is ASEAN’s 12th Sectoral Dialogue Partner. He welcomed Turkiye’s regional peace efforts and its mediation in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The deputy prime minister’s November 5–8 working visit includes participation in the forum. He separately met Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz at the Istanbul Congress Centre and received a courtesy call from Prof Erol Ozvar, president of Turkiye’s Council of Higher Education (YOK).
