DHAKA – Bangladesh and Turkiye today called on Turkiye Trade Minister Professor Omer Borat to Chief Advisor Professor Muhammad Yunus to discuss possible cooperation in the defense industry.
“You are a technology leader. You can build your defense industry here. Let’s get started… We will take care of whatever you need,” Professor Yunus told Borat at the Jamuna State Guest House.
He called on Turkiye to bring its technology to Bangladesh, invest more, relocate factories and utilize Bangladesh’s youth corps.
Noting that Bangladesh is the eighth most populous country in the world, he said the caretaker government was working to create job opportunities for the country’s youth and sought Turkey’s support in this regard.
“Use our youth to run factories here so that we can supply products to this region,” he said.
The CA said Bangladesh and Turkiye have the potential to build a dream relationship through mutual cooperation in various fields.
“There is a lot of work to be done…we want your support, your technology and your investment,” he said.
Professor Omer Borat said Bangladesh and Turkiye can diversify their cooperation beyond the textile industry.
He said economic cooperation is possible in the fields of defense industry, healthcare, pharmaceuticals and agricultural machinery.
“We can replace Bangladeshi imports with India and other markets. We can cooperate in economic and social fields at all levels,” he said.
He also said that universities in Bangladesh and Türkiye can cooperate with each other.
Bangladesh’s exports to Türkiye were about $581 million in 2023-24, while imports were about $424 million.
Currently, nearly 20 major Turkish companies operate in Bangladesh in the clothing, textile, accessories, chemical, engineering, construction, and energy sectors.
During the meeting, CA recalled his telephone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in August, followed by the visit of an eight-member Turkish delegation to Bangladesh in October.
The occasion was attended by Commercial Advisor Sheikh Bashir Uddin, Advisor Mahji Alam, Special Envoy Lutfey Siddiqui, SDG Secretary Ramiya Morshed, and BIDA Chairman Ashiq Mahmoud Chaudhry.