Kuala lumpur: ASEAN is contemplating advancing its partnership with Turkiye from a sectoral dialogue partner to a full dialogue partner, as announced by Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan. He emphasized Turkiye's constructive contributions in areas such as technology, security, defence, and agriculture, as well as its provision of scholarships to students from ASEAN member states.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Mohamad expressed this consideration after the Trilateral Meeting between Malaysia, Turkiye, and the ASEAN Secretariat. The meeting, attended by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and ASEAN Secretary-General Dr Kao Kim Hourn, was a 30-minute session held on the sidelines of the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM-58) and related meetings.

Mohamad further noted that numerous countries are showing interest in becoming either sectoral or full dialogue partners of ASEAN. However, due to an overwhelming number of applications, ASEAN has imposed a moratorium to manage the process. He highlighted that ASEAN currently has 11 dialogue partners, and any expansions must be carefully evaluated to ensure the existing structure is not overburdened.

The 58th AMM and related meetings, taking place at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC), are part of Malaysia's ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025, themed 'Inclusivity and Sustainability'. The event includes 24 ministerial-level meetings and involves engagements with ASEAN dialogue and sectoral partners over four days, beginning Tuesday.