Diplomatic Desk:
The Ambassador of the Republic of Türkiye to Bangladesh, Ramis Şen, paid a courtesy call on State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam, MP, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka today.
During the meeting, Ambassador Ramis Şen congratulated the State Minister on her recent appointment and reaffirmed Türkiye’s commitment to further strengthening the longstanding friendship and partnership between the two countries.
Welcoming the Ambassador, State Minister Shama Obaed Islam highlighted the excellent bilateral relations between the People’s Republic of Bangladesh and the Republic of Türkiye, which are rooted in shared values, cultural affinity and longstanding civilizational ties.
The discussions focused on enhancing cooperation in several key areas. Both sides expressed satisfaction with 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 assured the government’s readiness to facilitate such engagement.
She also noted 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 Türkiye for its humanitarian support to the forcibly displaced Rohingyas sheltered in Bangladesh and for its consistent support to Bangladesh in international forums. She also expressed hope that Türkiye would play a significant role in facilitating the repatriation of the Rohingyas to Myanmar.
During the meeting, the State Minister sought Türkiye’s 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 Şen conveyed that Türkiye would extend its support to Bangladesh’s candidature.
Both sides also discussed expanding cultural and educational cooperation between the two countries. The State Minister noted the growing popularity of Turkish culture in Bangladesh and proposed the establishment of a full-fledged cultural institute in the country. In response, the Turkish Ambassador referred to the existing proposal for establishing the Yunus Emre Institute at the University of Dhaka, noting that it could initially start as a language training institute and later expand into broader cultural programmes.
The State Minister also expressed hope that once the Parliament of Bangladesh reconvenes, efforts would be made to rejuvenate the Bangladesh–Türkiye Parliamentary Friendship Group to further strengthen parliamentary diplomacy and people-to-people ties between the two countries.
