Turkey is seeking to expand its bilateral trade with Bangladesh, aiming to raise the current trade volume from $1.3 billion to $2 billion, according to Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
Speaking at a joint press briefing in Dhaka on Friday, following discussions with Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman, Fidan noted that both nations are exploring potential avenues to strengthen trade and economic cooperation.
“We are exploring potential initiatives to increase our bilateral trade volume from $1.3 billion to $2 billion,” he said.
Fidan arrived in Dhaka on Thursday for a three-day official visit, part of a broader tour across several Asian countries that commenced on June 2. His official engagements began on Friday with a bilateral meeting at the InterContinental Dhaka, co-chaired by the two foreign ministers.
Following the talks, Bangladesh and Turkey signed a memorandum of understanding on the preservation of cultural heritage. The agreement was signed by Bangladesh Culture Minister Nitai Roy Chowdhury and Fidan on behalf of Turkey.
The two ministers also highlighted the main areas of discussion and shared their perspectives on regional and global issues. Fidan stated that the discussions covered bilateral relations, cooperation within international organizations, and broader regional and global developments.
Meanwhile, Minister Rahman proposed exploring the possibility of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) or an interim Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) and extended an invitation to Turkish investors to leverage Bangladesh’s Special Economic Zones, identifying textiles, pharmaceuticals, shipbuilding, and renewable energy as priority sectors for cooperation.
Emphasising the potential for closer defense ties, Fidan noted that both countries could pursue additional measures to strengthen collaboration, particularly within the defense industry.
Fidan further reaffirmed Turkey’s commitment to ensuring that the Rohingya crisis remains a prominent issue on the international agenda, underscoring Ankara’s continued diplomatic engagement on humanitarian concerns.
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