Bangladesh has called for stronger cooperation with Türkiye in advancing bilateral relations and urged Ankara to continue supporting efforts for the early, voluntary, safe, dignified, and sustainable repatriation of the Rohingyas to Myanmar.
The issues were discussed during a courtesy meeting between State Minister for Foreign Affairs H.E. Ms. Shama Obaed Islam, MP, and President of the Turkish Red Crescent Dr. Fatma Meriç Yılmaz at the State Minister’s office in Dhaka on Saturday morning.
During the meeting, the State Minister recalled the official visit of Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to Bangladesh from June 4 to 6, 2026, and his meetings with the Hon’ble Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh. She underscored the importance of further strengthening Bangladesh-Türkiye relations through enhanced cooperation across various sectors, including collaboration in regional and international organizations.
Highlighting the Rohingya crisis, Shama Obaed Islam noted that Bangladesh has been hosting more than 1.2 million forcibly displaced Rohingyas from Myanmar since 2017, describing the situation as a major humanitarian and socio-economic challenge for the country. She stressed the need for their early voluntary, safe, dignified, and sustainable repatriation to Myanmar and sought the continued support of the international community, including Türkiye, in achieving that objective.
President of the Turkish Red Crescent Dr. Fatma Meriç Yılmaz highly praised Bangladesh for its exceptional generosity in sheltering a large number of Rohingya refugees and for maintaining humanitarian assistance over the years. She highlighted the Turkish Red Crescent’s ongoing humanitarian activities in the Rohingya camps, including food assistance, education, primary and emergency healthcare, sanitation services, and skills development training.
The State Minister expressed Bangladesh’s deep appreciation to the visiting Turkish Red Crescent delegation and thanked Türkiye for its significant humanitarian assistance to the Rohingya people, reaffirming the importance of continued cooperation in addressing the prolonged crisis.