Erdoğan says Türkiye seeing economic gains

KUALA LUMPUR

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Feb. 11 Türkiye has started to see positive results from its current economic program.

"We have started to reap the fruits of the economic program that has been implemented for the last year and a half. We will work non-stop and without rest until we build the Century of Türkiye," Erdoğan told a business forum in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur.

The country's economic growth has continued despite conflicts in the Middle East, he added.

"We are one of the few countries that have achieved an annual growth rate of around 5 percent in the last 20 years," he said, adding that exports have increased more than twentyfold in the same period.

Erdoğan said the number of foreign companies operating in Türkiye has surpassed 80,000.

"Investors who trust and believe in Türkiye will not regret it from now on," he stated.

Earlier in the day, Erdoğan criticized Israel's occupation of Palestinian lands at a joint news conference with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

"At the core of the problem is Israel's insistence on its policy of occupation, invasion and massacre. Just like in the previous ones, we saw that Israel did not keep its promises in the latest ceasefire agreement," he said during his speech.

The establishment of an independent and geographically integrated Palestinian state is "essential," he added, stressing that Türkiye and Malaysia will continue their efforts to this end.

Erdoğan also expressed Ankara's appreciation for Malaysia’s stance on the Gaza crisis.

For his part, Anwar said Türkiye has shown leadership on the Gaza issue, and that "no other country he has known of has done as much as Türkiye did" on humanitarian aid.

A three-phase ceasefire has been in effect in Gaza since Jan. 19, pausing Israel’s assault that has killed over 48,000 people and devastated the region.

In the first phase lasting until early March, 33 Israeli hostages are set to be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners, with the sixth swap planned this week under the deal.

However, Hamas said on Feb. 10 the release of Israeli hostages scheduled for the weekend was postponed until further notice due to Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement.

On trade relations between Türkiye and Malaysia, Erdoğan said they have decided to increase the bilateral trade volume to $10 billion from the current level of around $5 billion.

The president added that they have signed 11 agreements in various fields and that a joint statement demonstrating "our will" has also been approved.

Erdoğan also presented a model of the Turkish homegrown electric vehicle the T10X model Togg SUV to Ibrahim

The two leaders examined the SUV's white exterior – inspired by Türkiye’s famed Pamukkale thermal springs – outside the office.

Erdoğan left Malaysia later for the Indonesian capital Jakarta.

His entourage includes first lady Emine Erdoğan, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yaşar Güler and Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar.