State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir said on Sunday that the relationship between Bangladesh and Türkiye is now at a new height and the two countries had a fruitful discussion on investment partnership in the defence sector, particularly the possibility of investment in a defence industrial park and other areas of defence production.
“The Bangladesh-Türkiye relationship is at a new height and is moving towards a stronger and more comprehensive partnership. There was a fruitful discussion on investment partnership in the defence sector, particularly the possibility of investment in a defence industrial park and other areas of defence production,” he said.
The state minister made the remarks while responding to a question at a media briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Foreign Secretary Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury and Additional Foreign Secretary (Public Diplomacy and Other Priority Matters) AKM Shahidul Karim were also present at the media briefing, which highlighted the outcomes of the prime minister’s visit to Türkiye in connection with COP31.
He said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his willingness to work closely with Bangladesh and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to further strengthen bilateral relations, which are now moving towards a comprehensive partnership.
He said the bilateral meeting between the two leaders was held in a very cordial atmosphere, reflecting the growing importance Türkiye attaches to its relations with Bangladesh.
Kobir said Erdogan held bilateral meetings with only a handful of heads of government during the multilateral forum, making his meeting with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on the very first day particularly significant.
He said the Turkish president's decision to meet the Bangladesh prime minister amid his busy schedule reflected the importance he attached to Bangladesh and its leadership.
The state minister said the two sides had fruitful discussions on defence cooperation, including potential Turkish investment in a defence industrial park in Bangladesh and other areas of defence production.
On the Rohingya crisis, Kobir said the two leaders discussed the need for stronger international cooperation, particularly following the International Court of Justice (ICJ) verdict, to pursue the issue more vigorously.
They also discussed ways to strengthen international support for financing the humanitarian response to the Rohingya crisis, he said, describing the discussions as very positive.
The state minister said President Erdogan referred to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman as his “valued brother” and expressed his intention to work closely with him.
“Beyond being the leader of 180 million people in Bangladesh, you are my valued brother and a leader with whom I will work closely,” Kobir quoted the Turkish president as telling the prime minister.
Erdogan also assured the prime minister that Türkiye would extend all possible cooperation to Bangladesh and asked him to identify areas where such support would be needed, the state minister said.
Kobir said the bilateral relationship had reached a strong level at the highest political level and was expected to advance further through closer cooperation.
Climate Finance
Responding to a question on climate finance, the state minister said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman had placed particular emphasis on ensuring easier and faster access to climate funds for countries severely affected by climate change.
He said existing procedures for accessing climate finance were often lengthy and complicated, causing delays in the delivery of funds when vulnerable countries needed them most.
“Climate finance must be accessible. The procedures for accessing funds need to be made much easier so that the money reaches countries in time to address their environmental challenges,” he said.
Kobir said Bangladesh's position on easier access to climate finance was also shared by other countries facing the adverse effects of climate change.
He said the prime minister had highlighted the need to simplify the process so that climate-vulnerable countries could use the funds efficiently for environmental protection and disaster response.
The state minister also said negotiations at COP31 were still underway and the outcome document had yet to be finalised.
“We are working positively. The negotiations are still ongoing, and the outcome document has not yet been released,” he said.
Highly Successful
The state minister described Prime Minister Tarique's participation in the COP31 World Leaders' Summit in Turkiye as highly successful, noting that the visit elevated Bangladesh's international standing and strengthened bilateral and multilateral cooperation.
"Taking everything into consideration, Bangladesh's participation in COP31 under the honourable prime minister's leadership was highly successful," he said.
Kobir said the visit provided an important opportunity to present the new government's commitments, priorities and vision to the international community while expanding Bangladesh's diplomatic engagement with key international partners.
"Through this visit, the prime minister, elected through the direct votes of the people after a long interval, has taken Bangladesh's confidence, honour and self-respect to a new height on the world stage," he said.
He said Bangladesh's participation was particularly significant as the country contributes less than 0.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions but remains among the nations most vulnerable to climate change.
Delivering Bangladesh's national statement at the COP31 plenary, Prime Minister Tarique highlighted climate justice, the historical responsibilities of developed countries, adaptation financing, loss and damage, and climate-resilient development.
The prime minister proposed allocating 50% of climate finance to adaptation and called for greater international cooperation to address climate-related loss and damage.
He also emphasised grant-based climate financing, technology transfer, a just energy transition and reforms to debt arrangements to support climate-vulnerable developing countries.