Turkish connection
o Ambassador says strengthened bilateral relations will translate into investments
KUALA LUMPUR: With its strengthened bilateral relationship with Malaysia through the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP), which was inked in July, Turkiye (Turkey) is keen to explore investments in the country, particularly in the energy sector, focusing on oil and gas.
Speaking to theSun, Turkish ambassador to Malaysia Emir Salim Yuksel said the CSP opened more doors to expand bilateral relations to encompass potential business and economic ties between both countries, especially in commercial and industrial sectors.
He said Turkiye is one of the largest economies in the world and has many different sectors. As such, there are many opportunities for Malaysian investors.
“I would like to invite Malaysian investors to explore the Turkish economy.”
Emir said simultaneously, there is growing interest by Turkish businessmen to invest in Malaysia. Many Turkish investors were exploring investments in Malaysia before the Covid-19 pandemic hit. Right now, as we enter the endemic stage, many are identifying the best sectors to invest in.
“Mutual investments are quite big in both countries. For example, Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad is managing the Sabiha Gokcen Airport in Istanbul, while the Turkish oleochemical plant, Evyap Sabun Malaysia Sdn Bhd, is located in Johor.
“Trade, investment and human resource are among the most important sectors that both our countries are jointly working on to raise bilateral cooperation. We see the huge potential within the talent pool in Malaysia, which has excellent soft and hard skills. Hence, we wish to combine our workforce to develop key industries in science and technology.”
Emir said Turkiye is an emerging energy hub in the Anatolian peninsula in the western Asia region, and it has huge potential to explore offshore oil and gas reserves with its fleet of six ships, comprising two seismic ships and four drillships that can explore the Mediterranean and Black Sea areas.
“Since Malaysia is an important oil and gas industry player, there is a lot we can learn from each other to further advance our relationship in the industry,” he said.
Apart from oil and gas, Emir said the halal industry is also a major item on Turkiye’s growth agenda, and Malaysia’s expertise in the sector can translate into more robust cooperation to expand halal products and certification.
Emir said Turkiye has established its halal accreditation agency and a system to issue halal certificates to companies, but it is different compared with the practices of the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim).
“The president of Turkiye’s halal accreditation agency, Zafer Soylu, visited Malaysia and had his first meeting with Jakim’s director-general. I must say the meeting was fruitful.
“Jakim is older in the sense of its establishment, and I find it important to come together to discuss each agency’s experience in managing the halal accreditation process,” he added.
Emir said during his tenure as ambassador, he also intends to concentrate on and increase collaboration in science and technology through research partnerships between universities and academic exchanges.
He said each year, the Turkish government sponsors 20 to 25 students to study in the country.
“We are ready to increase the number of sponsorships to allow more Malaysians to further their education in Turkiye,” he said.