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PM Tarique Rahman
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday (September 27) evening confirmed that extensive diplomatic protocols and bilateral bilateral agendas are being finalized for Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's upcoming official state visits to three strategically vital nations scheduled for October and November. According to senior diplomatic sources in Dhaka, the high-profile foreign tour will encompass official bilateral summits in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and the United Kingdom. The diplomatic offensive is aimed at cementing strategic defence partnerships, expanding bilateral trade, and mobilizing foreign direct investment for post-reform national infrastructure projects.
Diplomatic officials in Ankara confirmed that during the first leg of the tour to Turkey in mid-October, the prime minister will hold comprehensive bilateral discussions with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The bilateral talks will focus on expanding strategic defence cooperation, acquiring advanced maritime surveillance equipment, and negotiating a landmark preferential trade agreement (PTA) to boost Bangladeshi apparel and jute exports to the Eurasian economic corridor. Turkey has also emerged as a vital technological partner in modernizing Bangladesh's armed forces equipment.
The second leg of the state itinerary will take the prime minister to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he is scheduled to meet with Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman. Bilateral deliberations will focus on securing guaranteed long-term crude petroleum credit supplies, expediting the deployment of skilled Bangladeshi engineering and healthcare professionals under Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 megaprojects, and finalizing joint investments in renewable solar energy infrastructure in Bangladesh's southern economic zones.
The final leg of the diplomatic mission will conclude in London, featuring high-level political meetings at 10 Downing Street with British political leaders and an expansive summit with prominent British-Bangladeshi diaspora business leaders. Foreign ministry officials noted that discussions will concentrate on securing post-LDC graduation trade preferences, finalizing bilateral asset-recovery legal cooperation treaties to repatriate laundered state funds, and fostering academic exchange programs between premier British and Bangladeshi universities.
Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin stated on Sunday night, "The prime minister's upcoming official visits will strategically elevate Bangladesh's bilateral economic and defence partnerships with key global players." He affirmed that draft memorandums of understanding (MoUs) across industrial technology, renewable energy, and investment protection are undergoing inter-ministerial legal vetting. He emphasized that the administration's foreign policy doctrine is centered on proactive economic diplomacy and safeguarding sovereign national interests.
