Malaysia-Turkiye relations during Mahathir’s first premiership (1981-2003)

Abstract

The objective of this research is to study the Malaysia-Türkiye relations during Mahathir's first premiership (1981-2003). This research aims to address overlooked aspects of historical relations and clarify how these past connections have laid the foundation for Malaysia-Türkiye relations in the 21st century. This research examines archival materials, government publications, reports and newspapers, and it depends heavily on the said primary sources. Studies on Malaysia-Türkiye relations had not yet received enough attention. Existing studies only give a brief explanation and the relations are often branded as “low level” or “not quite as exciting”. This is an under-researched period for the bilateral relations between Malaysia and Türkiye due to domestic and regional matters that should be prioritised and the nature of foreign policy adopted by both nations. This research studies the origin of Pan-Islamism and its appeal to understand the common ground that binds Malaysia and Türkiye to sustain and develop relations at a bilateral and multilateral framework. Through their foreign policy, this research discovers that the predominant factor to their growing relations is Islam. This research also analyses diplomatic, economic and technical, cultural and defence relations. On a multilateral level, Malaysia-Türkiye relations and contributions were most evident in their Muslim solidarity within the United Nations (UN) and the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC). This research finds that their bilateral cooperation in the Developing 8 (D-8) between 1997 and 2003 were limited as the member states often acted collectively. While this research does comply with the claim that the relations were low in comparison with other countries, it is unbefitting to profess it as unexciting.