Turkey builds trade-defence axis

Turkish Ambassador to Bangladesh, Ramis Sen, paid a courtesy call on the State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shama Obaed Islam, MP, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday.

Ambassador Sen congratulated the State Minister on her recent appointment and reaffirmed Turkiye’s commitment to further deepening the longstanding friendship and partnership between the two countries.

During the meeting, the State Minister warmly welcomed the Ambassador and underscored the excellent bilateral relations between the People’s Republic of Bangladesh and the Republic of Turkiye, which are rooted in shared values, cultural affinity, and deep-rooted civilizational bonds.

The discussions focused on further strengthening bilateral cooperation in key areas.

Both sides noted with satisfaction the positive momentum in bilateral trade and emphasized the shared objective of increasing the trade volume between the two countries.

The State Minister welcomed greater Turkish investment in Bangladesh and expressed readiness to facilitate such engagement.

She also highlighted the growing defence cooperation between the two countries and underscored the importance of continued collaboration in capacity building, and defence industry cooperation.

The State Minister expressed appreciation to the Government of Turkiye for its humanitarian support to the forcibly displaced Rohingyas sheltered in Bangladesh and for its consistent support to Bangladesh in international forums.

The State Minister also expressed hope that Turkiye will play a key role in the repatriation of the Rohingyas to Myanmar.

The State Minister further sought Turkiye support for Bangladesh’s candidature for the Presidency of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly for the term 2026-2027.

Ambassador Ramis Sen conveyed that the Republic of Turkiye would extend its support to Bangladesh’s candidature.

The State Minister welcomed the growing cultural and educational engagement between Bangladesh and Turkiye and highlighted the popularity of Turkish culture in the country.

He proposed the establishment of a full-fledged cultural institute in Bangladesh to further promote Turkish heritage.

In response, the Turkish Ambassador referred to the existing proposal for the establishment of the Yunus Emre Institute at the University of Dhaka and noted that the initiative could gradually expand, starting initially as a language training institute and potentially developing into broader cultural programs in the future.

The State Minister also expressed the hope that, once the Parliament of Bangladesh sits in, efforts would be made to rejuvenate the Bangladesh-Turkey Parliamentary Friendship Group to further strengthen legislative and people-to-people ties, noting the role such friendship groups play in enhancing bilateral cooperation and parliamentary diplomacy.