ASBÜ ASEAN’s Participation in the "Kuala Lumpur-Ankara Dialogue 2026"

The "Kuala Lumpur-Ankara Dialogue 2026", held in Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur and organized in partnership with the SETA Foundation and ISIS Malaysia (Institute of Strategic and International Studies Malaysia)—one of the region's most prestigious think tanks—has elevated the 60-year diplomatic relations between the two countries to a strategic level. Representing our center, our Director, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hatice Çelik, also attended this event, which featured Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim as the guest of honor.

Assoc. Prof. Hatice Çelik served as the moderator for Session 1, one of the most significant sessions of the event, titled "Türkiye-Malaysia Relations: Current State and Future Perspectives." The panel, which brought together diplomats, academics, and policymakers, provided an in-depth analysis of multi-dimensional cooperation between the two nations in fields such as the defense industry, energy, technology, and academia.

Highlighting the necessity of blending power with conscience for the stability of the global system, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim called for the fair application of international norms for everyone, rather than selective enforcement, stating: "When power is stripped of conscience, it ceases to uphold order. It breeds instability, widens divisions, and weakens the very system it claims to protect. A rules-based international order cannot be invoked selectively."

Assoc. Prof. Hatice Çelik’s moderating role in this high-level strategic dialogue platform has once again demonstrated ASBÜ ASEAN's contribution to deepening institutional and academic contacts between ASEAN countries and Türkiye. This dialogue was evaluated as a significant component of the multi-layered relationship network that Türkiye has established with Asia.