Research Visit: Embassy of Malaysia in Türkiye

On October 26, 2026, as the Global Policy Community,we visited the Embassy of Malaysia inTürkiye. The embassy warmly hosted us alongside a group of students from Ankara University. During our visit, we met with Ambassador H.E. Adlan Mohd Shaffieq and the embassy staff, who shared valuable insights into Malaysia’s foreign policy, its relations with Türkiye, and its position in international affairs.

Malaysia and Türkiye: Bilateral Relations

Our visit began in a conference room, where the embassy staff had prepared a short video about the relationship between Malaysia and Türkiye. The video highlighted the close ties the two countries have maintained for more than 30 years.

Following the video, Ambassador Shaffieq emphasised that Malaysia and Türkiye enjoy comprehensive and strong relations. He mentioned that there are numerous direct flights between the two countries, with 20 flights per week from Istanbul Airport and four from Sabiha Gökçen Airport. The Ambassador also referred to a visit to Türkiye earlier in 2026, which aimed to strengthen bilateral relations. In addition to Malaysia and Türkiye, 14 other countries were involved in an agreement to strengthen bilateral relations. Around $5 million had been spent on this initiative, with further expenditure continuing. He also described Türkiye as an elder brother to Malaysia. Furthermore, he mentioned Türkiye’s participation in Malaysia’s defence industry event in 2025 and highlighted Türkiye’s friendly relations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Trade and Economic Cooperation

We began the question-and-answer session by asking: What will happen to the relationship between Malaysia and Türkiye in five years?The Ambassador first explained the current state of their economic relations. He mentioned that the two countries have relatively low tariffs on trade with each other. Malaysia exports petrochemicals to Türkiye, while Türkiye is Malaysia’s largest importer of palm oil. However, Malaysia exports more to Türkiye than it imports. This means that Malaysia has less access to Turkish products, while Malaysian products have greater access to the Turkish market.

The Ambassador explained that Turkish products are of good quality but can be expensive. Nevertheless, he emphasised that when Malaysia purchases Turkish products, it is not simply buying the products themselves but also their designs and technological capabilities. He gave the example of the LMS mission ships purchased from Türkiye. Malaysia is not only buying the ships but also their systems and rockets from companies such as ASELSAN. The Ambassador also mentioned that Türkiye had trained Malaysian engineers, demonstrating that bilateral cooperation extends beyond trade to include knowledge and technology transfer.

Malaysia’s Foreign Policy and the Balance of Power

Mr. Shaffieq also discussed international relations more broadly, particularly Türkiye’s diplomatic role and Malaysia’s position between the United States and China. He noted that Türkiye is located at the centre of a region experiencing numerous conflicts. In his view, Türkiye’s ability to balance power and maintain regional stability demonstrates its diplomatic strength. He congratulated Türkiye on these efforts and emphasised that Malaysia supports a strong Türkiye. He also observed that Turkish diplomacy extends across numerous regions, reaching as far as South Asia.

Turning to Malaysia’s foreign policy, the Ambassador described the rivalry between the United States and China as resembling a Cold War dynamic. Malaysia maintains strong trade relations with the United States, its largest trading partner, while China is the source of its largest investments. As Malaysia is not a large country, it needs to maintain a careful balance between these two powers. The Ambassador explained that Malaysia has adopted a hedging strategy, allowing it to maintain relations with both countries while managing the challenges arising from their rivalry.

The Strait of Malacca and Its Strategic Importance

One of the questions I asked concerned the strategic importance of the Strait of Malacca:“The Strait of Malacca is in your country, and it is located in strategic place in there. How does this strait affect your country’s foreign policy?” The Ambassador welcomed the question and asked a member of his staff to display a map of Malaysia so that he could explain the specific effects of the Strait of Malacca on the country.

He explained that Malaysia and Indonesia jointly maintain the strait. Malaysia wants the areato remain neutral and does not want third countries to bring military ships into the region under the pretext of “control and protect”.The Ambassador then discussed the historical significance of the strait. He explained that the Portuguese and the Dutch had conquered it before the British arrived. During the British colonial era, Chinese and Indian people were brought to Malaysia to work.The Ambassador particularly emphasised the British strategy of divide and conquer, stating,“British strategy is divide and conquer and they did it in Malaysia as well, they don’t want the original Malaysian people, the Malay’s get together and united.” He then explained that, after Malaysia gained its independence, the Malays, Chinese and Indians united. This discussion provided valuable insight into how historical experiences and the strategic importance of the Strait of Malacca continue to shape Malaysia’s foreign policy and its approach to regional security.

The Bumiputera Policy and Malaysia’s Historical Background

Our final question concerned the Bumiputera Policy. Mr. Shaffieq once again explained the issue through its historical background. He explained that Bumiputera means “sons of the soil” and refers to the indigenous people of Malaysia. Returning to the British colonial period, he mentioned that Britain arrived in 1834 and Malaysia gained its independence in 1957. However, racial riots broke out in 1969 in an effort to maintain political supremacy and protect the Malays. After the situation had settled and the riots had ended, the Malays, Chinese and Indians united, as the Ambassador had explained in his earlier answer.He concluded his response with a particularly memorable remark: “Only those who readabout Malaysia would ask that kind of question.”This comment highlighted the importance of understanding Malaysia’s historical and politicalcontext when examining its domestic policies and contemporary society.

A Warm Welcome from the Malaysian Embassy

After the question-and-answer session, the embassy staff took us to the backyard, where they had prepared an area for photographs. We took pictures with the Ambassador, who also spent time talking with us about our education.We then proceeded to lunch, which the embassy had prepared for us. The hospitality was exceptional, and a full course of food was served. We thoroughly enjoyed the meal, and the staff continuously checked on us to make sure we were comfortable, enjoying the food and had everything we needed.Following lunch, we asked the Ambassador’s assistant, Mimi, who was very kind, whetherwe could conduct a brief interview with Mr. Shaffieq. Thankfully, she kindly agreed and took us to the Ambassador’s office, where we filmed the interview. The interview will be published on our pages.

As the Global Policy Community, we would like to thank the Embassy of Malaysia in Türkiye once again for its generous hospitality and for providing us with such a valuable opportunity to learn about Malaysia, its foreign policy, its historical background and its relations with Türkiye.

Prepared by: Elif Eylül Bulut

Europe Researcher and Coordinator, Regional Research Unit