Prof Yunus seeks more Turkish investment in Bangladesh

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Monday sought more Turkish investment in Bangladesh, saying Dhaka is now ready for business, and both nations should explore the full potential in their relationship.

"We should give a big effort," he said when Turkish Ambassador to Bangladesh Ramis Sen paid a courtesy call on the chief adviser at his Tejgaon office in Dhaka.

They discussed ways to deepen trade, economic, and defence cooperation between the two countries, the Rohingya crisis, and more exchanges of students between the two Muslim-majority nations.

Chief Adviser Prof Yunus appreciated the Turkish humanitarian response to the recent Bangladesh floods, its continued assistance to the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh's southeast, and a visit by a Turkish official delegation to enhance trade and business ties between the two nations.

He also extended an invitation to the Turkish president and the first lady to visit Bangladesh at an opportune time.

Ambassador Ramis Sen thanked Bangladesh for expressing solidarity with the earthquake victims of Turkey last year and sending some 10,000 tents for them.

He conveyed Ankara’s invitation to Bangladesh to attend the upcoming World Halal Summit and a ministerial-level meeting in Istanbul.

The envoy said a Turkish official delegation is now visiting Bangladesh in an effort to explore new business and trade opportunities and help reform initiatives of the interim government. "We want to deepen trade and economic ties."

He said another Turkish team travelled to the country during the recent floods in southeast Bangladesh. The team provided humanitarian aid to the flood victims in Feni, Noakhali, Lakshmipur, and Cumilla.

The ambassador said bilateral trade between the two nations now stands at $1.1 billion, but there is huge scope to scale up exports from both countries.

Ramis emphasised a high-level business delegation's visit to Turkey to engage with Turkish business people and officials.

He said the Turkish trade minister would visit Bangladesh in December this year.