Turkish Ambassador to Bangladesh Ramis Sen on Sunday said his country will work with Bangladesh at the international level to resolve the Rohingya crisis.
He made the pledge during a meeting with BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.
The Turkish envoy met Fakhrul and discussed bilateral issues and the upcoming national election in Bangladesh.
The meeting, which lasted approximately 45 minutes, began around 4pm at the BNP chairperson's Gulshan office.
BNP Standing Committee member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury and BNP Organising Secretary Shama Obed were also present at the meeting.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Khosru said they covered a range of issues, including the Rohingya crisis.
He recalled that Turkish First Lady Emine Erdogan and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu were the first foreign dignitaries to visit the Rohingya camps in 2017, shortly after Myanmar's persecuted citizens sought refuge in Cox’s Bazar.
“Turkey has shown strong commitment to the Rohingya people and resolving the crisis. They have continued their cooperation through providing healthcare and donations for the Rohingyas," the BNP leader said.
Khosru said the Turkish envoy informed them that his country will work with Bangladesh at the international level, particularly through the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), to resolve the Rohingya crisis in the future. "I hope we’ll be able to do that.”
During the meeting, the BNP leader mentioned that the discussion also touched on Bangladesh's upcoming general election. "Every foreign friend has the same question: when will the election be held? We told them what we usually say," he said.
He said the international stakeholders are waiting to decide on their future engagement with Bangladesh, depending on the restoration of a democratic order through an elected government. "Turkey has an interest in this, and they also wanted to know when the election will be held.”
Khosru shared that Turkey is considering setting up a cultural centre in Dhaka in the near future.
He said they also discussed how to enhance trade relations between the two countries by improving people-to-people and business-to-business connections.
Besides, the BNP leader mentioned that Turkey plans to offer discounted treatment packages for Bangladeshis who wish to seek medical care there.
"Many Bangladeshis are already going to Turkey for treatment, and Turkey wants to encourage this further. The standard of medical treatment in Turkey is comparable to that of Western countries," Khosru said.
He also said the Turkish envoy expressed a willingness to assist Bangladesh in building capacity across various sectors and supporting institutional reforms, including within the Election Commission.
