Turkey PM says keen to improve ties with Dhaka

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim yesterday expressed his country’s intention to further improve the existing strong trade and economic relations with Bangladesh, and assured continuing its support to Rohingya living in Bangladesh.
“We’ve discussed what we can do to improve our economic and trade relations,” he said terming Bangladesh a dynamic nation with nearly 7% growth over the past few years.
After a bilateral meeting with his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina, the Turkish prime minister lauded Hasina’s diplomacy over Rohingya issue and Bangladesh’s support to the displaced people.
Prime Minister Hasina said she had a very fruitful discussion with the Turkish prime minister on bilateral and international issues of common interests.
“We’ve reiterated our commitment to work closely and support each other on bilateral and international issues of mutual concern, including the issue of forcibly displaced Rohingya people from Myanmar,” she said.
They talked about consolidating co-operation in key areas such as trade and investment, defence, education, tourism and connectivity.
Bangladesh and Turkey also signed two bilateral documents to enhance co-operation in the areas of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and maintain the standards of products.
The two countries agreed to continue to work together for socioeconomic development and mutual interests of the two nations. “We hope to have Turkey by our side in the course of our journey towards development,” Hasina said.
Supporting Bangladesh’s 2021 target, the Turkish prime minister said they discussed how they can contribute to Bangladesh in fulfilling the 2021 goals.