Turkey backs Bangladesh’s bid for UNGA presidency

Turkey has expressed support for Bangladesh in its bid for the presidency of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.

The assurance came when Turkish Ambassador in Dhaka Ramis Şen met State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday.

During the meeting, Ambassador Şen congratulated the state minister on her recent appointment and reaffirmed Turkey’s commitment to further strengthening the longstanding friendship and partnership between the two countries.

Welcoming the envoy, the state minister highlighted the strong bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Turkey, which she said are rooted in shared values, cultural affinity and deep civilisational ties.

The two sides discussed ways to enhance cooperation in several key sectors. Both expressed satisfaction with the positive momentum in bilateral trade and stressed the shared goal of increasing trade volume between the two countries.

The state minister also welcomed greater Turkish investment in Bangladesh and said Dhaka was ready to facilitate such engagement. She further highlighted the growing defence cooperation between the two countries and emphasised the need for continued collaboration in capacity building and defence industry cooperation.

During the meeting, Shama Obaed Islam thanked the Turkish government for its humanitarian assistance to the forcibly displaced Rohingyas sheltered in Bangladesh and for Ankara’s consistent support for Dhaka in international forums. She also expressed hope that Turkey would play a significant role in facilitating the repatriation of the Rohingyas to Myanmar.

The state minister formally sought Turkey’s support for Bangladesh’s candidature for the presidency of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly for the 2026-2027 term. In response, Ambassador Şen conveyed that Turkey would support Bangladesh’s candidature.

The state minister also welcomed the growing cultural and educational engagement between the two countries and noted the rising popularity of Turkish culture in Bangladesh. She proposed the establishment of a full-fledged cultural institute in the country to further promote Turkish heritage.

In response, Ambassador Şen referred to the existing proposal to establish the Yunus Emre Institute at the University of Dhaka. He said the initiative could initially start as a language training centre and later expand into broader cultural programmes.