Turkey wants to increase bilateral trade with Bangladesh
Ambassador of Turkey Ramis Sen said that he wants to take the bilateral trade with Bangladesh to two billion dollars.
The Turkish Ambassador said this during a courtesy meeting with Chattogram City Mayor Bir Muktijoddha Md. Rezaul Karim Chowdhury.
Mayor Rezaul said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has made huge investments to exploit the commercial potential of Chattogram. Chattogram City Corporation is implementing a project worth two and a half thousand crores to improve the communication infrastructure of the city.
Apart from this, several projects have been taken to alleviate the water logging of the city. As a result, Chattogram has become an ideal place for foreign investment. Turkey can capitalize on this golden opportunity with massive investment.
In response, Ambassador Ramis Sen said, 50 years of bilateral relations between Turkey and Bangladesh are going to be completed. In the last half century, Turkey was always by Bangladesh's side. However, the depth of Bangladesh's relationship with Turkey is not properly reflected in bilateral trade. Therefore, Turkey aims to take the bilateral trade between Bangladesh and Turkey to two billion dollars in a short period of time. Bangladesh is ahead of Turkey in terms of import and export.
Currently, Bangladesh's trade with Turkey is mainly centered on the textile sector. Turkey exports textile sector machinery and chemicals to Bangladesh. On the other hand, Turkey imports garments from Bangladesh. Turkey wants to diversify the bilateral trade without limiting it to the textile sector.
Highlighting the success of Turkey's health sector, the Ambassador said that Turkey is currently one of the top five medical tourism destinations in the world. Tourists from various European countries visit Turkey for medical treatment during summer because Turkey's health sector is capable of treating various complex and rare diseases. The number of tourists in Turkey decreased slightly during the Covid period, but last year the number increased again and crossed 50 million.
Stating that Turkey is also advancing in the military sector, the Ambassador said that in February, Turkey flew its own 5th generation stealth fighter Kan, which is an indication of Turkey's deep military power. In addition, Turkey has impressed the world by developing drones and various military technologies. Turkey is sharing its acquired knowledge with Bangladesh and will continue to do so in the future.
Turkish Rear Admiral Mustafa Kaya, Colonel Erdal Shahin, Chief Executive Officer of CCC Sheikh Muhammad Tauhidul Islam, Honorary Consul General of Turkey in Bangladesh Salahuddin Kashem Khan were also present in the meeting.