Credit : Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's X
ISTANBUL, November 5, 2026 – Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi opened his official visit to Türkiye by chairing a Pre-Council meeting with the Malaysian delegation, saying the trip should deepen cooperation in trade, investment, technical and vocational education and training (TVET), higher education, the halal industry and disaster management.
In a post shared on X, Ahmad Zahid said many issues were examined so that Malaysia–Türkiye ties could move “from close friendship to cooperation that brings results”.
TRT World Forum panel
Among the main items on the visit, he said, is his participation as a panelist at TRT World Forum 2026 on the topic “Türkiye: From Regional Power to Multi-Regional Actor”. He described the forum as a chance for Malaysia to share its views on the international stage, especially on the role of countries such as Malaysia and Türkiye in a more challenging world.
Several bilateral meetings and strategic engagement sessions were also arranged during the visit. Ahmad Zahid stressed that Malaysia and Türkiye are not new friends, recalling that the two countries stood together in difficult moments, including after the 2023 earthquakes in Türkiye.
Mission focused on results for Malaysians
“For me, this visit is not about how far we travel or how many hands we shake. What matters more is what we can bring home for the people and the country,” he wrote. “That is our mission in Istanbul.”
Photographs attached to the post show Ahmad Zahid chairing the Pre-Council around a long conference table with Malaysian officials, and posing with members of the delegation in Istanbul.
In an earlier post on the same trip, he said he had arrived safely in Istanbul to begin an official visit from November 5 to 8, 2026, aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and expanding strategic cooperation, and was received at Istanbul Airport by Malaysia’s ambassador to Türkiye, Adlan Mohd Shaffieq.
Ahmad Zahid is also Minister of Rural and Regional Development. Malaysia and Türkiye have maintained diplomatic and people-to-people links for decades, including cooperation after natural disasters and growing interest in trade, education and the halal economy. The Pre-Council and forum appearance form the opening chapter of a four-day programme in Istanbul.
TRT World Forum is an annual gathering hosted by Türkiye’s public broadcaster TRT, bringing together officials, analysts and media on geopolitics and global affairs. Ahmad Zahid’s panel topic — Türkiye’s shift from a regional to a multi-regional actor — places Malaysia in a conversation about middle powers and South–South-style partnerships.
Trade, TVET, higher education, the halal industry and disaster management are areas where both countries already have contact points through ministries, universities and relief agencies. Ahmad Zahid’s Pre-Council message sets those as the practical tests of the Istanbul visit, rather than ceremony alone.
Source: Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on X.
Credit : Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s X
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