Despite the tremendous distance and the lack of geographical connectivity, the relationship between Türkiye and Malaysia has a far longer history than one might assume. With relations going back to times even before they established their respective nation-states in the 20th century, with the first contact between the Ottomans and the Malay Sultanates dating back to the 16th century, cordial relations and trade would continue in the following centuries. However, this amicable relationship was abruptly interrupted in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as the Malay Sultanates fell victim to European colonialism, the Ottoman Empire disintegrated, and the newly formed Republic of Türkiye pursued a more isolationist and Western-oriented foreign agenda that spared little consideration for non-Western countries such as Malaysia. Only in 1964 would the relationship between Malaysia and Türkiye be formally reestablished following Malaysian Independence.
However, in recent years, the level and volume of improvement of relati
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