Turkey-Malaysia Cooperation In Defence Shines Bright In Recent Years

KUALA LUMPUR, March 2 (Bernama) -- Cooperation in the field of defence between Turkey and Malaysia has increased in recent years, bolstered by mutual interests and confidence among industry players of both countries. Turkey’s Ambassador to Malaysia, Merve Kavakci, said cooperation in the defence sector has also emerged at the forefront among various strategic collaborations that existed between both countries. She said Turkey’s achievement in its defence industry’s science and technology development helped increase Malaysia’s interest in and appreciation of Turkey’s products. “Our companies are also very interested in Malaysia. Therefore, we can say that this communication and interaction is not temporary, but rather in progress,” she said in an interview with defensehere.com, a Turkey-based website specialising in defence industry and technology news and information. The interview was published in www.defensehere.com in February. The article was made available to Bernama by the Turkish embassy in Malaysia. “Malaysia is one of our closest friends in the region, with its developing economy, its dynamic position in the Islamic world, and the close friendship ties between our countries dating back to centuries. “Therefore, we have excellent relations with Malaysia in all fields. We elevated our relations to strategic cooperation and paved the way for closer cooperation in many areas during our President's (Recep Tayyip Erdogan, then Prime Minister) visit to Malaysia in January 2014, marking the 50th anniversary of our diplomatic relations,” she said. The ambassador said during that period, the interest of Turkish companies operating in the field of defence industries greatly increased in Malaysia, and important projects have been implemented. “For example, one of our companies manufactured several 8x8 armoured combat vehicles for the Malaysian army, and this project is still in progress. Another company delivered remote-controlled weapon systems. “The exchange of 14 cooperation agreements between different prestigious defence companies from both countries, in the presence of the two leaders, during the visit of our President to Malaysia in December 2019, is an indication of the advanced level that our cooperation has reached in the field of defence industries,” she said in the interview. She said the cooperation is also reflected in high-level and technical mutual visits by both countries. For instance, Turkish defence industry companies participated in the Defence Services Asia Exhibition (DSA) in Kuala Lumpur and the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA) in Langkawi, while Malaysian companies had also participated in the International Defence Industry Fair (IDEF) exhibition in Turkey. The ambassador also said Malaysia is closely following the development of Turkish armed and unarmed drones. She said the topic of technology transfer within the scope of military and defence cooperation with Malaysia is on her country’s agenda as well. “In view of the cooperation projects in the field of defence industries that have been implemented with Malaysia, we are pleased to see that Turkish companies are working in coordination with the Ministry of National Defence and the Presidency of Defence Industries in Turkey in a manner that provides the highest levels of benefit to Malaysia,” she said. She added that some of the terms of cooperation that were discussed and exchanged between the defence industry companies of both countries during Erdogan’s visit to Malaysia in December 2019 had included technology transfer as well. On the role of the Embassy of Turkey in Malaysia, Kavakci said the embassy will continue to provide support and assistance to Turkish companies based in Malaysia as well as companies that are interested to venture here. “As an Embassy and mostly through our Military Attaché, we direct and guide Turkish companies that wish to develop joint ventures in the field of defence industry in Malaysia, as well as the companies that wish to participate in or bid on tenders, or search for local partners for that purpose. “We also coordinate their requests regarding visits or meetings with different defence industry companies and Malaysian official authorities, with the relevant authorities in Malaysia so that they can realise these visits,” she said. The ambassador said among the well-established defence industry companies from Turkey which have offices in Malaysia are Aselsan, FNSS, Istanbul Shipyard, and Havelsan. -- BERNAMA