Tarique Deepens Türkiye Ties, Advances Climate Diplomacy

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s three-day visit to Türkiye for the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31), which concluded on Thursday, marked a significant step in strengthening Bangladesh-Türkiye relations while advancing Dhaka’s calls for climate justice and adaptation financing.

During the visit, the two countries explored greater cooperation in defence, trade, investment, energy and technology, while Bangladesh used the international climate summit to highlight the financial challenges facing climate-vulnerable nations.

At a bilateral meeting on 10 November, Tarique and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan discussed expanding cooperation in defence, trade, investment, energy, renewable power and mineral resources, reflecting their shared ambition to elevate bilateral relations to a strategic partnership.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir described the meeting as an important development, saying both countries were interested in joint investments in defence and other strategic sectors. Discussions also included the possibility of establishing a defence industrial park in Bangladesh through Turkish investment and joint ventures.

Former ambassador Mahfuzur Rahman said the priorities of both countries were aligned.

“The Turkish attitude and Bangladesh’s expectations are matching. Dhaka wants technology transfer and joint investment so that it can develop its own expertise apart from producing defence materials,” he told the Daily Sun.

He said such cooperation could help Bangladesh reduce its reliance on imported defence equipment.

“In this case, if we can develop expertise, we would be able to meet our internal demands and if we can build confidence in our capabilities, we might export such items in future,” he added.

The discussions also covered deep-sea energy and mineral exploration, renewable energy and aviation. Erdoğan described Tarique as a “valuable friend and brother” and expressed his interest in taking bilateral relations to a higher level.

Tarique, meanwhile, thanked Türkiye for its humanitarian assistance to Rohingya refugees and support for Bangladesh at international platforms, including the International Court of Justice.

He also urged Ankara to continue its diplomatic efforts to facilitate the safe, dignified and sustainable repatriation of displaced Rohingya people to Myanmar.

Climate diplomacy at the forefront

At COP31's high-level segment on 12 November, Tarique outlined five proposals aimed at addressing the challenges faced by climate-vulnerable countries and reforming the global climate financing system.

His proposals included allocating at least 50% of international climate finance to adaptation, introducing debt-relief initiatives such as debt-for-climate swaps, ensuring equitable access to climate-friendly technologies, accelerating the transition to renewable energy and adopting the proposed “Belém-Antalya Action Mechanism” to ensure a just energy transition through fair financing and trade arrangements.

Emphasising that vulnerable nations need grants rather than additional loans, Tarique noted that Bangladesh accounts for less than 0.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions but remains among the countries most exposed to climate change.

Highlighting Bangladesh’s domestic climate commitments, he announced a target of planting 250 million trees over the next five years and generating 20% of the country's electricity from renewable sources by 2030.

He also highlighted plans to develop 4,000 megawatts of solar power, excavate 20,000 kilometres of rivers and canals, restore mangrove forests and encourage green industrialisation. Bangladesh already has around 300 LEED-certified garment factories, he said.

Prof Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumder, head of the Centre for Atmospheric Pollution Studies, said Bangladesh contributes relatively little to global carbon emissions but would require $230 billion by 2050 to address the impacts of climate change.

“A previous request for $137 billion in mitigation funding was not met, making loss and damage central to current COP discussions as the government approaches the final stages of a national loss and damage framework to seek compensation for past harms. Therefore, the prime minister’s presence and demand for grants instead of debt was a timely one,” he said.

Jute diplomacy and broader international engagement

Bangladesh also highlighted the environmental potential of jute products at COP31, showcasing alternatives to plastic through a pavilion in the conference's Green Zone.

Two side events were organised to promote climate resilience and demonstrate the potential of biodegradable, zero-waste jute products.

On the sidelines of the summit, Tarique held a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, discussing climate cooperation, Australian investment in Bangladesh and the repatriation of Rohingya refugees.

Tarique invited Albanese to visit Bangladesh, while the Australian leader expressed hope of making the trip next year.

Although the visit did not result in any immediate commitments on climate financing, it provided Bangladesh with an important diplomatic platform to strengthen international partnerships and push for climate justice, equitable financing and greater cooperation.

Former ambassador Mahfuzur Rahman stressed the need for climate-vulnerable countries to build a stronger collective voice. He noted that Bangladesh ranks eighth among the world's most climate-vulnerable countries, while around 155 nations have been seeking $350 billion in climate financing.

“We go to participate in every COP. But our achievements remain limited to assurances and insignificant amounts of debt. If we could form an alliance comprising the top 30 or 40 most climate-vulnerable countries, it could raise its voice more powerfully,” he said.

He suggested that such an alliance could exert greater pressure on developed nations, including by threatening to boycott COP conferences until their demands are addressed.