Turkish deputy foreign minister in Dhaka, secretary-level talks today

Turkey’s Deputy Foreign Minister A. Berris Ekinci arrived in Dhaka on Monday morning for a two-day visit. The foreign secretary-level meeting between Bangladesh and Turkey will be held Tuesday.

Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam will lead the Bangladesh delegation, while Deputy Foreign Minister Ekinci will represent Turkey at the meeting, to be held at the State Guesthouse Padma in Dhaka.

Discussions will focus on strengthening bilateral ties in trade, defence, and politics.

Foreign ministry officials said this is the fourth such meeting between the two countries and the first in more than five years.

A joint statement is expected after the talks, outlining areas of cooperation such as enhanced political engagement, expanded trade relations, and a transition of defence cooperation into broader partnership.

On the first day of his visit, Ekıncı held separate meetings with leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Jamaat-e-Islami, and the National Citizen Party (NCP).

After today’s meeting, he is scheduled to pay courtesy calls on Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain and Chief Adviser of the interim government Professor Muhammad Yunus.

Senior officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the meeting will review all aspects of Bangladesh-Turkey relations, with emphasis on boosting trade and investment.

In recent years, defence cooperation between the two countries has grown notably and will be a central topic of discussion. Strengthening political engagement is also expected to be high on the agenda.

According to diplomatic sources, the two sides will hold about two hours of talks, covering bilateral, regional, and global issues. The draft agenda includes trade and investment, defense cooperation, political dialogue, development and agricultural assistance, health, migration, education, culture, science and technology, and connectivity.

The two sides are also expected to set goals for enhanced security cooperation, particularly in counterterrorism. Other topics include tackling climate change risks and addressing the Rohingya crisis.

Regional discussions will focus on the evolving situation in South Asia and the Middle East, especially Israel’s aggression in Gaza. International issues will cover cooperation at the D-8, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the United Nations, and mutual support in multilateral forums.

Since August last year, several high-level visits have taken place between Dhaka and Ankara. In January, Turkish Trade Minister Ömer Bolat visited Bangladesh and met Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus.

In February, Foreign Ministry Secretary (East) Nazrul Islam paid a three-day visit to Ankara, where he met Deputy Foreign Minister Ekinci and held meetings with senior officials from Turkey’s finance, trade, defence, health, and industry ministries, as well as investment bodies and the central bank.

In April, Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain met Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, where both sides discussed elevating the bilateral partnership to new heights.

In July, President of Turkey’s Defense Industries Agency Haluk Görgün paid a one-day visit to Dhaka and met Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus and Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman.

In a post, the Bangladesh Army said Turkey had expressed willingness to provide technical and strategic support to develop Bangladesh’s defence industry.

Foreign ministry officials noted that Ekinci's current visit carries special significance, as Turkey appears focused on taking its relationship with Bangladesh to a higher level.

His meetings with leaders of three major political parties on the first day reflect Ankara’s keen interest in Bangladesh’s evolving political landscape.