Published : 05 Oct 2026, 03:18 PM
Updated : 05 Oct 2026, 03:18 PM
Bangladesh has sought to advance negotiations with Turkey on a free trade agreement (FTA) and expand trade and investment cooperation between the two countries.
Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir met Turkish Ambassador to Bangladesh Ramis Sen in Dhaka on Monday, where the two sides discussed the FTA, business links for fruit imports, hazardous waste management and Bangladesh's participation in international trade events, according to the industries ministry.
On the FTA, the two sides reviewed progress on starting talks.
Muktadir said he would like to hold bilateral discussions with his Turkish counterpart and meet an investment agency during his upcoming visit to Turkey.
Dhaka also sought contact details of Turkish fruit-exporting organisations to strengthen import links, which the commerce ministry will share with relevant Bangladeshi businesses.
On hazardous waste from the electronics and ship-breaking industries, the two sides explored cooperation involving Turkey's specialised treatment, storage and disposal facilities (TSDFs).
On leather, the ambassador said environmental concerns had cut processing and tannery activity in Turkey, with synthetic leather and imported raw materials increasingly used instead.
The envoy also invited Bangladesh to a ministerial-level conference under the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (COMCEC), and to the World Halal Industrial Summit and Halal Expo.
Bangladesh said the commerce minister would attend the main COMCEC conference, with other officials joining the side events.Bangladesh
