Turkey’s trade relations with Bangladesh have not been severely affected by the Corona epidemic, said Turkish Ambassador Mustafa Osman Turan.
The ambassador to Bangladesh said that even during the difficult times in Corona, the trade between the two countries was around মিল 900 million, which is very promising. Bangladesh’s trade relations with Turkey will further increase in the future due to the current stable political environment.
The Turkish ambassador made the remarks at an exchange meeting titled ‘Investment Benefits in Sylhet’ organized by the Sylhet Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Friday night.
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen was the chief guest at the meeting held at a restaurant in the Mirzajangal area of Sylhet.
Apart from the Ambassador of Turkey, Deputy Co-ordinator of Turkish Co-operation and Co-ordination Agency Ahmed Faruk Mostaglu, Mayor of Sylhet City Corporation Ariful Haque Chowdhury and Honorary Consul General of Turkey Salauddin Kashem Khan also spoke as ‘Guest of Honor’.
Sylhet Chamber President Abu Taher. Speaking as the chief guest at the meeting chaired by Shoaib, the foreign minister said, “Bangladesh’s trade relations with Turkey are strong enough. The current Turkish government is keen to further develop this relationship. The Turkish embassy and we have to work with sincerity in this regard.
Turkey is a very well known country to the people of Bangladesh due to its similarities in history, tradition and religious beliefs. Many Bangladeshi students go to Turkey to study with scholarships. I urge the Turkish government to increase this scholarship for Bangladesh.
On ‘Investment Facilities in Sylhet’, the Foreign Minister said that Turkey is famous for its construction. But Turkey does not work in the construction sector in Bangladesh.
Turkey needs technical assistance in Bangladesh’s construction sector, communication sector and renewable energy sector. Turkey is very developed in the fields of agriculture, tourism, health, etc. Turkey can also invest in these sectors in Bangladesh. In particular, Turkey could set up an international standard hospital in Sylhet in collaboration with the Sylhet City Corporation. The return on investment in Bangladesh is much higher, so Turkish investors can take advantage of this opportunity.
Referring to ‘Bangladesh is our brotherhood’, Turkish Ambassador Mustafa Osman Turan said, ‘Our religious beliefs and culture are the same. Kazi Nazrul Islam, the national poet of Bangladesh, has written a poem about Mostafa Kamal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey. These things are very emotional to us. So we work for Bangladesh from the heart.
There is another kind of love for Sylhet, the Turkish ambassador added, adding that Turkey has plans to invest in Sylhet in the future. He raised the issue of courtesy call with Sylhet City Mayor before the exchange of views.
Shahjalal University of Science and Technology Professor M Iqbal, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) of Sylhet, among others, spoke at the meeting. Anwar Sadat, Sylhet Agricultural University teacher Mohammad Mosharraf Hossain, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute Principal Scientific Officer Mahmudul Islam, Private Hospital Owners Association President Nasim Ahmed, Sylhet Chamber Election Board Chairman. Abdul Jalil Jabbar, Senior Vice President of Sylhet Chamber Chandan Saha.
