Pakistan's friend Turkey to make weapons in Bangladesh? Yunus regime in talks with Ankara to..., concern for India because...
(File)
Bangladesh Turkey relations: In a concerning development for India, Turkey, which openly supported Pakistan, and even supplied the enemy forces with advanced military drones during the recent India-Pakistan conflict, is in talks with the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government in Bangladesh to build defence industrial complexes in Chittagong and Narayanganj. BIDA chief visits Turkey, discusses defence cooperation
According to media reports, the proposed defence cooperation between Ankara and Dhaka was discussed at length during the recent five-day visit of Bangladesh Industrial Development Authority chief Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun to Turkey, that also included a trip to the Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation (Makine ve Kimya Endüstrisi)– a state-owned arms industry located in Kirikkale in Turkey's Central Anatolia region.
As per reports in the Bangladeshi media, Harun's visit was aimed developing deeper strategic Bangladesh-Turkey defence relations, discuss co-production of weapons, technology transfer, and capacity building. The Bangladeshi official and his colleagues reportedly received classified briefings on the MKE manufacturing floor, testing site and artillery systems, energy and small arms manufacturing.
Notably, Bangladesh purchased 18 MKE Boran 105 mm howitzer units last year, and plans to acquire an additional 200 units of the Turkish-made artillery gun in the near future. Additionally, Dhaka is also mulling to purchase the Otokar Tulpar light tanks from Turkey. Bangladesh-Turkey defence relations
Bangladesh-Turkey defence ties strengthened under the Sheikh Hasina regime in 2018 when Dhaka procured 15 different types of military hardware, including Bayraktar TB2 drones, from Ankara. Dhaka's latest engagement with the Turkish arms industry is aimed at boosting the defence cooperation between the two nations to a whole new level, that includes industrial integration and technology transfer for Bangladesh.
Reports claim that formal talks to set to begin to materialise a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), besides institutionalizing a defence industrial working group, between the two countries.
The development comes at a time when India-Pakistan tensions are at a fever pitch post Operation Sindoor, which was conducted by Indian Armed Forces to avenge last month's barbaric Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians in Kashmir valley. Experts have noted that the entry of Turkey, which has emerged as an anti-India force after supporting Pakistan in the recent conflict– in India's eastern neighbourhood, is a matter of major concern for New Delhi, especially during the current situation.
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