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A meeting between Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is likely during the Bangladesh premier’s visit to Türkiye to attend the COP31 climate summit, Foreign Secretary Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury said on Monday.
Briefing reporters at the Foreign Ministry ahead of the prime minister’s visit, the foreign secretary said bilateral meetings with the Australian prime minister, China’s vice-president and the president of Uzbekistan had already been confirmed.
He said Tarique Rahman was also scheduled to meet the British foreign secretary and the administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Shahidul Karim was also present at the press conference.
Asked whether military and economic cooperation, particularly a proposed drone manufacturing facility and defence collaboration, would be discussed during the visit, Salahuddin said these issues fell within the broader scope of military cooperation.
However, no specific decision had yet been finalised regarding a drone factory in Bogura or any particular economic zone, he said, adding that such matters would be determined later.
On the possibility of discussing Turkish company Celebi’s involvement in ground-handling services at Dhaka airport, the foreign secretary said the visit was primarily linked to an international summit rather than a standalone bilateral engagement.
As a result, discussions would focus on broader bilateral cooperation rather than any specific major commercial agreement, he added.
Asked about media reports that former prime minister Sheikh Hasina had applied for a passport and national identity card, Salahuddin declined to comment.
He said Monday’s briefing was focused on the COP31 summit, adding that he had no comment on the passport issue.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is scheduled to leave for Türkiye on Tuesday to attend the COP31 World Leaders’ Summit.
