Bangladesh and Turkey have agreed to further strengthen their economic, defence and diplomatic cooperation through a series of strategic initiatives. The move reflects a shared ambition to elevate bilateral relations to a higher strategic level.
The commitment was reiterated at a joint press conference in Dhaka on Friday following talks between Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
“We emphasise that the visit of Hakan Fidan comes at a significant moment in Bangladesh-Turkey relations and demonstrates the shared commitment of both countries to deepen cooperation and elevate the bilateral partnership to new heights and to a strategic level in the coming days,” Khalilur Rahman said.
Echoing the sentiment, Fidan said Turkey remained committed to deepening its longstanding partnership with Bangladesh across a broad range of sectors.
“We are continuing our efforts to deepen our long-standing partnership across a broad spectrum and elevate it to a much stronger and more visionary level on solid foundations,” he said.
Dhaka and Ankara also signed a “Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Field of Cultural Heritage Protection” during the Turkish foreign minister’s visit.
Expanding defence cooperation
Economic and defence cooperation featured prominently in the discussions. Both sides explored ways to increase bilateral trade and broaden collaboration in key sectors.
Turkey aims to raise bilateral trade from the current $1.3 billion to $2 billion in the near future. Ankara is also keen to expand cooperation in the defence industry.
“We are exploring potential initiatives to increase our bilateral trade volume from $1.3 billion to $2 billion. There are steps we can take to enhance our cooperation in various fields, particularly in the defence industry. We thoroughly reviewed all these matters with my esteemed colleague,” Fidan said.
Bangladesh and Turkey already maintain close defence ties, including cooperation in defence equipment procurement, technology transfer and capacity-building initiatives.
New avenues of partnership
The two countries also discussed a range of new initiatives aimed at broadening the scope of bilateral engagement.
Among the issues discussed were the possibility of a preferential or free trade agreement, increased Turkish investment, the establishment of a dedicated economic zone for Turkish investors, and cooperation in developing an international-standard hospital and nursing institute in Bangladesh.
The two sides also explored opportunities to strengthen people-to-people contacts and cooperation in emerging sectors.
“We discussed the possibility of having a preferential trade agreement,” Khalilur Rahman said.
He identified textiles and apparel, defence manufacturing, shipbuilding, pharmaceuticals, infrastructure development, renewable energy, information and communication technology, smart technologies and civil aviation as promising sectors for Turkish investment.
Convergence on regional and global issues
The talks also focused on regional and international developments, with both countries expressing interest in closer coordination on global issues.
The recent election of Khalilur Rahman as President of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly has opened a new avenue for cooperation between Dhaka and Ankara. Bangladesh acknowledged Turkey’s support for his successful candidacy.
Khalilur expressed gratitude to Ankara for its backing, describing it as invaluable.
Fidan said regional stability and security remained central to Turkey’s foreign policy.
“Ensuring stability, security, peace and prosperity in our region is among the foremost priorities of our foreign policy. Today, regional conflicts are influencing global dynamics more than ever before,” he added.
He expressed concern over the escalation of conflicts and instability across different regions, warning that their effects were increasingly being felt beyond national borders.
“The war in Iran is negatively affecting the entire world beyond our region. In this context, we welcome the progress made in the ongoing talks between Iran and the United States,” he added.
Continued support on Rohingya crisis
Turkey also reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Bangladesh in addressing the protracted Rohingya crisis, which has continued for more than nine years.
“The tragedy faced by the Rohingya Muslims, unfortunately, continues,” Fidan said.
“I would like to once again emphasise that Bangladesh, which has been hosting over one million Rohingya for years, has demonstrated a historic sacrifice on behalf of all humanity.”
He said Turkey would continue working in coordination with neighbouring countries and international organisations to find a lasting and just solution to the crisis.
“We are making intensive efforts to keep this crisis on the international community’s agenda,” he added.
