Bangladesh is placing defense industry cooperation at the heart of its relationship with Türkiye, with its ambassador in Ankara calling the sector one of the most important areas for future partnership and praising Turkish advances in modern military technology. In a recent interview, Ambassador M. Amanul Haq said Bangladesh is keen to work closely with Türkiye on a wide range of defense projects, highlighting in particular the country’s success with unmanned aerial vehicles and other high-tech systems that already meet strict international standards. He pointed to well-known Turkish drones such as the Bayraktar series as examples of how a focused, long-term strategy can help a country build strong capabilities that are trusted around the world, and suggested that Bangladesh hopes to follow a similar path by learning from this experience and inviting technology cooperation that fits its own needs. Haq recalled that Haluk Gorgun, who heads Türkiye’s Presidency of Defense Industries, recently visited Bangladesh for talks with senior leaders, a visit that he said helped both sides better understand each other’s priorities and identify concrete steps to deepen collaboration in the years ahead. According to the ambassador, relations between Bangladesh and Türkiye are already passing through one of their strongest periods, with two-way trade rising from around one billion dollars to about 1.3 billion dollars and several Turkish companies investing in Bangladesh in areas such as manufacturing and services. He noted that steady high-level contacts, including ministerial and deputy ministerial meetings, have created a friendly climate where new defense projects can be discussed alongside cooperation in business, education, and infrastructure. For Bangladesh, closer work with Türkiye in the defense industry could support its broader goal of modernizing its armed forces, diversifying suppliers, and gradually building more production at home through technology transfer, joint ventures, and training for engineers and technicians. Such projects could include co-designing equipment suited to local geography, assembling systems inside Bangladesh, and setting up maintenance and testing facilities that create skilled jobs and reduce long-term costs. At the same time, Turkish firms would gain a reliable partner in a fast-growing country with a young population, strategic location, and strong record of contributing to global peacekeeping. Haq also underlined that the friendship between the two nations goes beyond defense, as they frequently coordinate on humanitarian issues and support each other in international forums, which he believes gives a strong foundation for any long-term industrial partnership. Overall, his message was that Bangladesh sees cooperation with Türkiye as a chance to combine shared values with practical projects that strengthen security, encourage investment, and build a safer, more confident future for both peoples.
