New Delhi: To pitch its diplomatic tent in Bangladesh, Türkiye has agreed to set up a joint ministerial mechanism on defence and foreign affairs, focusing on military cooperation, trade and investments, and joint production initiatives. Türkiye foreign minister Hakan Fidan, on a three-day visit to Dhaka, met with Bangladeshi prime minister Tarique Rahman on Saturday to decide on the bilateral arrangement, indicative of their growing relationship.
Bangladesh state-run news agency, BSS, reported that the new ministerial mechanism would focus on political, security, foreign policy, and defence domains, even as Ankara and Dhaka institutionalized an annual bilateral consultation involving their foreign and defence ministries to deepen their cooperation. “Bangladesh and Turkiye have decided to form a joint committee at the ministerial level on defence and foreign affairs to strengthen bilateral relations,” BSS reported, quoting the prime minister’s deputy press secretary, Shahadat Shadhin.
Fidan told Rahman, during their talks, that his visit marked the first step towards upgrading the Türkiye-Bangladesh ties to a “strategic” partnership. Fidan conveyed the greetings from the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, while the latter extended an invitation for the Turkish head of state to visit Dhaka soon at a time of his choosing. During their discussions, both sides exchanged views on many issues, including the Rohingya refugee crisis, climate change, trade and investment, defence cooperation, and joint production initiatives, apart from the regional and global politics, the report said.
Rahman thanked Türkiye for its continued support to Bangladesh on the global stage, particularly Ankara’s backing for Dhaka’s candidature for the presidency of the 81st session of the United Nations general assembly. On Friday, Fidan met with Bangladeshi foreign minister Khalilur Rahman and travelled to Cox’s Bazar to visit a refugee camp to meet with the Rohingyas, who migrated to Bangladesh from Myanmar to escape violence in their nation. The Turkish foreign minister is on a tour of Asia, and Bangladesh was his fourth stop in a multi-nation engagement.
For India, this visit by the Turkish foreign minister to Bangladesh marks a new dimension in its ties with its neighbours. India has been wary of Türkiye’s cooperation with its western neighbour, Pakistan, particularly Ankara’s defence supplies to Islamabad. Indian intelligence agencies have been closely watching the military cooperation, specifically after Pakistan deployed Türkiye’s weapon systems to target India during the four-day war they fought in May 2025.