Turkey keen to enhance defence coop, Bangladesh more interested in trade, investment

Turkey expressed its keenness to enhance “defence cooperation” with Bangladesh and go for “joint production and technology transfer” with different countries including Bangladesh as Turkey’s defence capacity is growing, reports UNB.

“Turkey is ready for joint production and technology transfer to other countries including Bangladesh,” Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told newspersons at a joint briefing at state guesthouse Padma on Wednesday.

He said they do not produce everything but they are now producing more than 75 per cent of their needs because in the past they had difficulties to procure defence items. “Therefore, we started producing for our own needs.”

The Turkish foreign minister said they are also having joint ventures and technology transfer with neighboring countries.

Its neighbour to the northwest is Bulgaria, Greece to the west, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran to the east, Georgia to the northeast, Syria to the south, and Iraq to the southeast.

Turkish arms exports during the period 2014-18 had increased by 170 per cent compared with the period from 2009-13.

By 2018, Turkey was the 14th largest arms exporter in the world with Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Turkmenistan the main destinations.

The issue of defence cooperation between Bangladesh and Turkey was discussed during the meeting between Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and his Bangladesh counterpart AK Abdul Momen.

Though it was not in the agenda, the Turkish side shared the idea of defence cooperation while Bangladesh was more interested in trade and investment issues in the meeting, officials said.

Turkish foreign minister Cavusoglu, who arrived Bangladesh on Tuesday night, left for home on Wednesday evening.