KUALA LUMPUR, April 13 (Bernama) -- Turkey's new ambassador to Malaysia, Serap Ataay, said today that the current good relations between the two countries can be used as a foundation to further enhance bilateral relations.

The envoy, who started her diplomatic career in 1986, said that since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1964, bilateral relations between Turkey and Malaysia had strengthened steadily, to the mutual benefit of both countries.

"As we have always enjoyed good political relations, other dimensions of this relationship have also continued to move forward in a progressive manner," the 49-year old ambassador told Bernama in an interview recently.

She said the visit of Turkish Foreign Affairs Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to Malaysia in November last year presented an opportunity for the two countries to review their current relations comprehensively and highlighted the political will on both sides to foster the bilateral ties.

Apart from high level official visits, Turkey and Malaysia also took advantage of common international platforms, such as the United Nations, the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and the D-8 (Developing 8) countries to collaborate and cooperate, she said.

"I consider that the current good relations can be used as a foundation upon which much more can be done to enhance our relations even further," said Ataay, who presented her credentials to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on March 23.

The ambassador also said that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had extended an invitation to his counterpart, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, to visit Turkey.

"As you know, high-level visits give momentum to the relations and in this regard, we are looking forward to hosting the Malaysian premier at the earlies