Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman is set to visit Türkiye on Saturday for talks with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, marking his first official trip abroad since taking office, Turkish diplomatic sources said.
Rahman will meet with Fidan in Ankara to discuss bilateral relations as well as regional and international developments, according to the sources.
During the talks, Fidan is expected to welcome the peaceful conduct of Bangladesh’s 13th National Parliament elections and the July National Charter referendum, expressing hope that the results will contribute to restoring stability and prosperity in the country.
The Turkish minister is also expected to underline the longstanding and historically rooted ties between Türkiye and Bangladesh, voicing confidence that relations between the two countries will continue to deepen during Rahman’s tenure.
Fidan is likely to emphasize Türkiye’s desire to strengthen cooperation across a wide range of sectors, including economic and trade relations, defense industry collaboration, energy, education, culture, science and health.
The discussions are also expected to address efforts to finalize several bilateral agreements currently under negotiation, which Turkish officials say would help reinforce the legal framework underpinning cooperation between the two countries.
Fidan is anticipated to reiterate Ankara’s goal of increasing the bilateral trade volume from its current level of around $1.3 billion to $2 billion in the coming years.
In addition to bilateral matters, the ministers are expected to exchange views on regional and global developments. Fidan is likely to stress the importance of cooperation with Bangladesh in multilateral platforms such as the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Developing Eight (D-8) group.
The talks may also touch on recent developments in Iran and the Gulf region, as well as tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, with both sides expected to share assessments of the evolving security landscape.
The Turkish minister is also expected to emphasize the need for international actors to intensify efforts to prevent further instability and conflict in the region, while reaffirming Türkiye’s commitment to a peaceful and principled approach that calls on all parties to exercise restraint.
The cooperation between Türkiye and Bangladesh could contribute to greater stability and prosperity in South Asia and beyond is also expected to be underlined.
Relations between the two countries have gained momentum in recent years. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a brief meeting with Bangladesh’s then-interim government chief adviser Muhammad Yunus during the D-8 summit in Egypt in December 2024.
Bangladesh’s then-foreign affairs adviser Touhid Hossain also visited Türkiye in April 2025 for the Antalya Diplomacy Forum and later met with Fidan in Ankara.
According to official data, trade between the two countries reached approximately $1.35 billion in 2025, including $430.6 million in Turkish exports and $926.4 million in imports from Bangladesh.
Bangladesh and Türkiye have had strong diplomatic and trade relations for centuries, dating back to the late 16th century when Ottoman ports established trade links with Bengal.
The Turkish Embassy in Dhaka opened in 1976, and the Embassy of Bangladesh in Ankara opened in 1981.
On Thursday, Bangladesh's parliament convened for the first time since last month's elections, which followed the deadly 2024 uprising that plunged the country into political turmoil.
The government of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), took over after the Feb. 12 elections from the interim administration that had led the country of 170 million people since August 2024.
