Turkey's Erdogan may visit Bangladesh next year

Ankara wants to boost trade and investment with Dhaka, and the Turkish president may visit the South Asian country next year, Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry has said.

In a statement on Wednesday, the ministry said Recep Tayyip Erdogan is satisfied with the existing cooperation between the two countries in the education, culture, and military sectors.

The remarks came after a meeting between Erdogan and visiting Bangladeshi Foreign Minister A K Abdul Momen at the Presidential Complex in Ankara.

The Turkish president, according to the press release, agreed to attend the D-8 summit in Dhaka next year, and stressed investing in new products, including textiles, medicines, and other sectors.

He also proposed allocating land in Bangladesh for the construction of a modern hospital with Turkey's financial assistance.

Both leaders stressed taking initiatives in the exchange of "new commercial goods, sending more trade delegations and participating in trade fairs and exhibitions."

The Turkish president "highly appreciated" Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for providing shelter to the persecuted Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh – in Cox’s Bazar, where they have been staying since August 2017 – and assured all possible support to resolve the crisis.

Erdogan, the ministry said, assured cooperation to fight the coronavirus outbreak, and expressed hope that he could visit Bangladesh to inaugurate the newly constructed Turkish Embassy in the capital Dhaka once the virus situation is back to normal.

The Turkish presidency also confirmed the meeting with a short statement and photos. However, it did not mention anything about Erdogan's visit to Dhaka.