Shawdesh Desk:

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday sought robust Turkish investment in Bangladesh alongside cooperation in sustainable repatriation of Rohingyas.

‘I call for larger Turkish investment in Bangladesh,’ she said while outgoing Turkish ambassador in Dhaka Mustafa Osman Turan paid a courtesy call on her at her office in Dhaka.

The prime minister urged the Turkish government to put pressure on Myanmar to bring back their nationals.

PM’S speech writer M Nazrul Islam briefed the newsmen after the meeting.

The Turkish envoy said that his country’s businessmen had shown interest on making more investment in Bangladesh due to its massive infrastructure development particularly for setting up economic zones.

He said that two Turkish companies have so far invested 850 million USD in economic zone here this year.

He also assured of giving all sorts of cooperation in Rohingya repatriation.

The prime minister stressed the need for quickly holding the next Bangladesh-Turkey Joint Economic Group meeting, in where, discussions about cooperation in trade, business and other issues will be held.

The earlier meeting of the group was held at Istanbul in 2019, she said.

Sheikh Hasina also sought Turkish assistance in overcoming challenges of Bangladesh being graduated as a developing country from the least development one.

The PM called upon Turkey to make cooperation in defence and the socio-economic issues.

The Turkish envoy expressed her country’s eagerness to extend cooperation to defence sector.

Turan, as well, showed his country’s interest in setting up a super special hospital in Bangladesh and sought a suitable place for it.

In reply, the prime minister offered providing land at Purbachal or neighborhood of the Padma Bridge.

The Turkish envoy however expressed his country’s keenness to take the idea of Smart Bangladesh and work together to build the Smart Bangladesh.

He hoped that Sheikh Hasina would be voted to power in the next general election.

The prime minister said that Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founding father of the modern Turkey, is very popular in Bangladesh and Kamal has now become a ‘household name’ here.

She said that her younger brother Kamal was named after Kemal being inspired by his (Kemal’s) works.

Ambassador at Large M Ziauddin and PM’s principal secretary M Tofazzel Hossain Miah also were present, among others.