Malaysia has expressed its willingness to purchase military equipment from Turkiye, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said.
Anwar said prior to this, some of Malaysia’s military equipment had been purchased from South Korea, adding that the choice of suitable purchases from Turkiye will be decided by the Malaysian Armed Forces Council.
“We could be looking at drones and helicopters… according to Turkiye’s area of specialisation. However, I will leave it to the Armed Forces on what is best,” the Prime Minister said after a bilateral meeting with Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Turkish House here today.
Anwar is currently in New York to attend the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
The Prime Minister said it was now left to the Defence Ministry to hold negotiations with the Finance Ministry and the Turkish government on the military equipment purchases.
“My policy as I told the joint chief of staff is we don’t want any interference on what to procure, what to acquire,” he said.
At the same time, Anwar said Erdogan has also agreed to visit Malaysia in December.
Meanwhile, Anwar arrived at the Turkish House in Manhattan in New York to meet Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Both leaders are meeting on the sidelines of the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
According to officials, among the topics of discussion would be finding ways to tackle Islamophobia on the global stage.
Last month, Anwar told the media that he had discussed the matter during a phone conversation with Erdogan and they agreed to look into the possibility of starting a movement and doing something to counter attacks against Islam, especially in the United States and Europe.
Anwar was accompanied by Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir; Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz; and Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa.
After the bilateral meeting with Erdogan, the prime minister will meet Iranian President Seyed Ebrahim Raisi, followed by Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe.
This is Anwar’s first appearance as prime minister at the annual gathering, and he is scheduled to deliver Malaysia’s National Statement at the General Debate on Friday (Sept 22) at UN headquarters.
