Turkey keen to increase investment in Bangladesh but there could be a hidden agenda

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Turkey is looking to expand its investment in Bangladesh. Turkish ambassador to Bangladesh Mustafa Osman Turan underlined that his focus would be to boost trade and economic co-operation between the two countries while enhancing cultural and people-to- people contact. “We see a Bangladesh which has a very bright future. Its economy is growing fast like ours. Turkish investors are keen to invest in Bangladesh as it offers attractive incentives for foreign investors,” the Daily Star quoted him as saying.</p>
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Turan, who took came to Bangladesh just before the Covid-19 pandemic, said a prominent Turkish company will invest US$ 100 million in LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) sector in Chattogram,  the newspaper added.</p>
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According to reports, Turan also said Turkey was keen to increase investments in Bangladesh, especially in the Special Economic Zone. According to the Daily Asian Age, the Turkish Envoy made this remark during a courtesy call on State Minister of Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury at the latter's office on Sunday. Turkey is going all out to woo Bangladesh. Recently, Bangladesh’s sprawling embassy campus was inaugurated in Ankara.</p>
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Turkey has already evinced interest to sell weapons to the Sheikh Hasina government. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also expressed his desire to be present this year in March to celebrate the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Mujibur Rahman.</p>
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Earlier a foreign policy expert told IndiaNarrative.com that Turkey may come up with more focused measures that strengthen ties with Bangladesh at a time when New Delhi and Dhaka are moving fast on a track to promote bilateral ties—both political as well as economic. "The government of Turkey under Erdogan, along with an agency like Diyanet, is certainly working towards a larger role in the Islamic world and more in the predominately populated Muslim countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Malaysia," the Society for the Study of Peace and Conflict highlighted.</p>
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Interestingly, recently, Turkey has also been providing support to Pakistan as it tried to bring the Kashmir issue in the wake of the abrogation of Article 370 on the platform of the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC).</p>
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In the past Turkey-Bangladesh relations have not been very cordial. Earlier, the Turkish government strongly condemned the International Crimes Tribunal’s (Bangladesh) indictment, conviction and execution of leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami, the largest Islamist party in the south Asian country, the Middle East Institute noted. The think tank added that on May 12, 2016, Erdoğan had issued “a scathing condemnation of the Bangladeshi government’s use of capital punishment against Motiur Rahman Nizami, head of the Jamaat-e-Islami Party.” “Now it seems Turkey is keen to bury the past and forge an alliance with the Muslim majority Bangladesh after it has struck a chord with Pakistan and this could be with the idea to strengthen the religion factor,” an analyst said.</p>