Ankara: Turkiye-based think tank, the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA) and the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia will establish a framework to further fortify bilateral ties, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Anwar also praised the role of both institutes in shaping national policy discourse amid an increasingly complex global environment.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Anwar expressed his encouragement over SETA and ISIS Malaysia formalizing their cooperation through a Memorandum of Understanding to be signed later today. He emphasized the importance of sustained exchanges between policymakers and scholars, especially when decisions being made will have long-term impacts.

Anwar is visiting Turkiye on a three-day official trip at the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, aiming to further strengthen the longstanding bilateral ties between the two nations. He highlighted SETA's emergence as one of the most influential think tanks in Turkiye since its establishment nearly two decades ago, contributing significantly to policy discourse and strategic pathways for Malaysia.

During his lecture, Anwar addressed the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, describing it as genocide rather than a mere war crisis. He pointed out the systematic obstruction of humanitarian aid and the use of starvation, displacement, and fear as instruments of crimes against humanity.

Anwar stressed the need for more action from both Malaysia and Turkiye, who have been delivering humanitarian assistance and mobilizing diplomatic pressure to hold Israel accountable for violations of international law. He called for preventing atrocity from setting a precedent and ensuring humanitarian access remains open while rejecting collective punishment and forced displacement as legitimate statecraft tools.