Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan conveyed the agreement to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim at their bilateral meeting here yesterday.

“He (Erdogan) agreed that MAHB should continue operating the ISG as they are satisfied with the success of the company in the first stage, and now they want to extend (operations), including building a longer runway,” Anwar told reporters after their meeting at Turkish House.

Anwar, who is in New York to attend the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, said Turkey believes that MAHB is best suited and capable of running the ISG operations.

“This tremendous support is also a vote of confidence in the Malaysian company to develop and manage the ISG,” he said.

Fully owned by MAHB, the airport is the sixth busiest gateway in Europe, with passenger numbers reaching 25 million in 2021, or 70% of the pre-pandemic level.

Anwar said the meeting, which was attended by Cabinet ministers from both countries, also discussed efforts to increase cooperation in investment and trade.

Malaysia is Turkey’s largest trading partner in Asean with a trade volume of US$4.7 billion (about RM22 billion) in 2022, a 35% growth from 2021.