Saber Chowdhury visits Turkey as IPU president

President of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Saber Hossain Chowdhury is currently visiting Turkey at the invitation of the President of the Turkish parliament, Ismail Kahraman.

The Bangladesh embassy in Ankara said they held a meeting on Wednesday and discussed ways and means to involve Turkish Parliament “more actively” with the programmes and activities of the IPU.

Chowdhury stressed the need to build “a culture of peace and tolerance” to reduce conflict and to address the root causes of terrorism and conflict in the global context.

He also invited Kahraman to attend the IPU Assembly scheduled to be held in Dhaka from Apr 1 to Apr 5. Kahraman accepted the invitation.

A Bangladesh MP, Chowdhury was elected the President of the international organisation of parliaments in Oct 2O14.

According to the embassy, during the meeting, they also discussed the relations between Bangladesh and Turkey.

Kahraman recalled the “strong message of support” from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressing solidarity with the Turkish people immediate after the failed coup on July 15.

Chowdhury described those events as the victory for democracy and the expression of the people's free will.

They agreed that there are potentials of cooperation in sectors such as trade, economic transaction, cultural, education and agriculture between the countries, the embassy said.

Bangladesh Ambassador to Turkey M Allama Siddiki was also present at the meeting, among others.