Bangladesh a country of 'strategic importance' for South Asia’s stability, peace: Turkish FM
He is in Dhaka on a two-day visit at the invitation of Bangladesh
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey Hakan Fidan today (5 June) said Bangladesh is a country of "strategic importance" for the stability, peace, and security of South Asia, stressing that they will continue to take steps to solidify their shared commitment to strengthening the relations between the two countries.
"We will continue to take steps to solidify our shared commitment to strengthening our relations through new projects and reinforcing stability, peace, and prosperity in South Asia," he said, describing Bangladesh as an "exceptional country" with a broad network of cooperation within the regional and international platforms and a strong voice of the Global South.
The Turkish foreign minister was speaking at a joint press briefing after a bilateral meeting with Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman at a city hotel. He is in Dhaka on a two-day visit at the invitation of his Bangladesh counterpart.
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This is the fourth and final stop on his tour of the Asia-Pacific region. Marking the visit, the two countries also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the field of cultural heritage protection.
Cultural Affairs Minister Nitai Roy Chowdhury signed the MoU on behalf of Bangladesh.
"I hope this document, which demonstrates our commitment to safeguarding humanity's shared heritage, will bring benefits to our countries," said the Turkish foreign minister.
He said they agreed to further strengthen their common stance and cooperation on international and regional issues.
In the bilateral meeting, they discussed their bilateral relations, cooperation within international organisations, and regional and global developments.
"We are continuing our efforts to deepen our long-standing partnership across a broad spectrum and elevate it to a much stronger and more visionary level on solid foundations," Hakan Fidan said.
He said they are exploring potential initiatives to increase their bilateral trade volume from $1.3 billion to $2 billion.
"There are steps we can take to enhance our cooperation in various fields, particularly in the defence industry," said the Turkish foreign minister, noting that they thoroughly reviewed all these matters with his Bangladesh counterpart.
Making intensive efforts to keep Rohingya crisis on global agenda
Hakan Fidan said Bangladesh bears an immense humanitarian responsibility during this period of growing global challenges.
"The tragedy faced by the Rohingya Muslims, unfortunately, continues," he said, noting that ensuring stability, security, peace, and prosperity in their region is among the foremost priorities of their foreign policy.
The Turkish foreign minister emphasised that Bangladesh, which has been hosting over 1.3 million Rohingyas for years, has demonstrated a "historic sacrifice" on behalf of all humanity.
He said they are working in solidarity and coordination with relevant neighbouring countries and organisations to find a lasting and just solution to the Rohingya issue.
"We are making intensive efforts to keep this crisis on the international community's agenda," said Minister Fidan.
The two ministers visited the refugee camps in Cox's Bazar in the afternoon to see the situation on the ground firsthand.
Hakan Fidan also reviewed the activities carried out by their institutions like Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency, Disaster and Emergency Management Authority of Turkey, Turkish Red Crescent, Turkish Diyanet Foundation and Turkey's health ministry, and visited their Sahra Hospital operating in the camps.
"While continuing our humanitarian aid to improve the situation of the Rohingya, we will also continue to support their safe, dignified, and voluntary return to their homeland," said the Turkish foreign minister.
Freedom of navigation
Today, he said, regional conflicts are influencing global dynamics more than ever before and the escalation of current conflicts and instability, along with their tendency to spread to broader regions, is a source of deep concern.
The war in Iran is negatively affecting the entire world beyond the region, Minister Fidan said.
"In this context, we welcome the progress made in the ongoing talks between Iran and the United States. We hope these talks will yield concrete results and lay the groundwork for lasting peace and stability," he said.
In this process, ensuring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and returning to the pre-war status quo is imperative for the global economy, energy, and food security, the Turkish foreign minister said.
"In line with our understanding that disputes can only be resolved through dialogue, we have intensified our diplomatic efforts. We are continuing our consultations not only with the United States and Iran but also with regional countries," he said.
In this context, Hakan Fidan said, they highly value Pakistan's efforts to make the ceasefire permanent and are actively supporting these efforts.
"While progress is being made in the talks, we are deeply concerned about violations of the ceasefire. The parties must refrain from taking steps that would jeopardise the diplomatic process," he said.
The Turkish foreign minister said the international community must also demonstrate a shared resolve to end the war, in particular, to prevent Israel's attempts to sabotage the ceasefire. "The Netanyahu government has turned the entire region into a battlefield to block a two-state solution."
He said Israel continues the genocide it has committed in Gaza, which has inflicted deep wounds on the conscience of the international community, and is adding a new unlawful initiative every day in the West Bank that targets the two-state solution.
Hakan Fidan said the international community's priority must be to halt Israel's aggression and eliminate the war environment in the region.
"In this context, it is imperative to bring Israel's occupation and attacks in Lebanon to a definitive end and restore calm," he said.
The Turkish foreign minister said the scope of their multifaceted cooperation with Bangladesh spans a wide range of areas, befitting the shared vision of two brotherly nations with deep-rooted historical ties.
He expressed their great satisfaction at the election of Khalilur Rahman to the presidency of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. "I extend my congratulations to Bangladesh and to my dear brother. This outcome is a very significant demonstration of the international community's respect for Bangladesh."
Given Bangladesh's active role at the UN and Khalilur Rahman's extensive experience, the Turkish minister said, they have no doubt that he will successfully carry out this important duty.
He said his Bangladesh counterpart will make a significant contribution to their efforts to preserve and advance global peace, stability, and prosperity. "As Turkey, we will continue to strongly support our dear brother (Dr Khalilur), just as we have done so far."
Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman made his first official bilateral foreign visit to Turkey on 14 March, shortly after assuming his post.
"We subsequently hosted him in our country as part of the Fifth Antalya Diplomacy Forum. We are also greatly pleased with the other reciprocal visits at the ministerial level conducted with Bangladesh in recent times," said the Turkish minister.
This intensive exchange of visits strongly underscores the shared determination to further deepen the relations and explore new areas of cooperation, he said.
