PM Returns Home After Attending COP31 in Türkiye

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman returned to Bangladesh early Friday after attending the UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) and the World Leaders' Summit in Antalya, Türkiye.

A Turkish Airlines flight carrying the Prime Minister, his wife Dr Zubaida Rahman and members of his delegation landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 5:40am, according to PM's Deputy Press Secretary Hasan Shiplu.

Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Prime Minister's Political Adviser and BNP Acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat, Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni and senior government officials welcomed the Prime Minister and his wife at the airport.

Tarique departed Antalya at 4:15pm local time on Thursday for Istanbul. Following a brief stopover, he boarded another flight for Dhaka at around 8pm. Türkiye's Foreign Ministry senior official and Ambassador Subutay Yuksel saw him off at Antalya Airport.

The Prime Minister travelled to Antalya on November 10 for a three-day official visit to attend COP31 and the Antalya Leaders' Summit.

On Thursday, he addressed the high-level segment of COP31, outlining five urgent actions to address the challenges faced by climate-vulnerable countries.

On the sidelines of the conference, Tarique held bilateral meetings with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

The discussions focused on strengthening bilateral relations, expanding trade and investment, and enhancing cooperation to tackle the impacts of climate change.

He also held courtesy meetings and exchanged greetings with several other world leaders and heads of international organisations attending the conference.

During the visit, Tarique and his wife attended a dinner hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and First Lady Emine Erdoğan in honour of world leaders participating in COP31.

The Prime Minister also visited the Bangladesh Pavilion and an exhibition showcasing environment-friendly jute products in the conference's Green Zone, alongside attending various other programmes.