TURKIYE, 21 March 2023 - The Defence Minister, YB Dato’ Seri Utama Mohamad bin Haji Hasan, undertook his first official visit to the Republic of Turkiye from 19 to 21 March 2023 since he took the office of the Minister of Defence Malaysia in December 2022.

On the first day of his visit, the YB Minister of Defence went to the Ministry of National Defence of the Republic of Turkiye to meet with his counterpart H.E. Hulusi Akar, the Minister of National Defence. Upon his arrival, the YB Minister of Defence inspected a guard of honour mounted by the Turkish Armed Forces before the meeting between both leaders started.

During the meeting, the YB Minister of Defence expressed his sincere and deepest condolence to the victims and families as well as to the Government and the people of the Republic of Turkiye following the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Turkiye and Syria on 6 February 2023.

He also affirmed Malaysia’s solidarity with Turkiye during the difficult times as well as Malaysia’s undivided commitment to helping the country and its people. YB Minister of Defence informed his counterpart that Malaysia will donate some of the Malaysia Field Hospital (MFH) assets to the Republic of Turkiye to assist its health services recovery.

During the meeting, both Ministers reaffirmed the commitments to further enhance the defence cooperation between Malaysia and the Republic of Turkiye, particularly in the military cooperation as well as science, technology and defence industry. Both sides also discussed on current and possible future procurements through Government to Government arrangements.

YB Minister of Defence also extended an invitation for the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA 2023) this coming May 2023 to his counterpart.

On the second and last day of his visit, the YB Minister of Defence visited the MFH in Celikhan, Adiyaman where he was briefed by Brigadier General Datuk Dr Amran Amir Hamzah on the MFH’s operations since it began on 15 February 2023.

The MFH has provided health services to the local population and surrounding areas affected by the recent earthquake. Afterwards, the YB Minister of Defence took the opportunity to interact with the MFH personnel over a lunch session.

YB Minister of Defence also met the President of the Defence Industry Agency (SSB) on the sideline and was briefed on how the country developed its indigenous defence industry to become one of the leading global industry players. Both agreed that the current defence industry cooperation could go beyond the procurement of military equipment and agreed to explore ways to enhance the collaboration in a mutually benefitting manner for both countries.

The visit to the Republic of Turkiye by the YB Minister of Defence is an activity carried out under the ambit of the Third Pillar of the National Defence Strategy, Credible Partnerships, as outlined by Malaysia’s Defence White Paper (DWP) and a sign of solidarity to the people of the Republic of Turkiye.