Staff Reporter :
Eleven Bangladeshi and six Turkish companies have joined forces and decided to establish the Bangladesh-Turkiye Business Forum (BTBF) at a meeting hosted by the Turkish Embassy in Dhaka, according to a press release issued on Friday.
The BTBF will solidify support for bilateral trade, investments and cultural encounters, and act as an advocacy platform promoting bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Turkiye.
The BTBF Founding Members are BTBF Chairperson Rubana Huq – MD, Mohammadi Group and VC, AUW, BTBF Co-Chairperson Salahuddin Kasem Khan – chairman, EC of Board, AK Khan and Co Ltd, BTBF Deputy Chairperson Kazi Zahedul Hasan – founder and MD, Kazi Farms Group, BTBF Secretary General Ercument Polat – CEO, United Aygaz LPG Ltd, Alihussain Akberali – chairman, BSRM, Anjan Chowdhury – key stakeholder, Square Group, Abul Khair Litu – chairman, Bengal Group Ltd and founder, Bengal Foundation, Enayetullah Khan – founder and MD, Cosmos Group, Mohamed Haniffa Mohamed Fairoz – CEO and MD, Singer Bangladesh Ltd, Moinuddin Hasan Rashid – chairman and MD, United Group, Mirza Salman Ispahani – chairman and MD, MM Ispahani Ltd, Sk Nasir Uddin – chairman, Akij Group, Emrah Karaca – country manager, Turkish Airlines in Bangladesh, Hakan Altinisik – director of Technology and Innovation, Arcelik, Mehmet Yildiz – administrative and financial specialist, NKY Architects and Engineers, Muhammed Çagri Ünal – construction coordinator, EPIK Holding, and Özgür Türk – country director, LCWaikiki
Rubana Huq, following her election as BTBF chairperson, said: “May this forum strengthen bilateral ties, expedite connections and optimize potential. The business to business and people to people connect will surely offer more opportunities to explore at both our ends.”
BTBF will soon be legally constituted to perform its activities through its working groups on trade, investment and cultural activities.
A research and data cell will also be created within its secretariat to develop collaboration with experts and relevant institutions. Gender balance will be encouraged in the membership and leadership structure of BTBF.
Salahuddin Kasem Khan, as BTBF co-chairperson and honorary consul general of Turkiye in Chittagong, stated: “The forum is significant as some of the oldest and largest corporations of Bangladesh and Turkiye are represented. Since both are members of D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, Bangladesh can evolve as a hub for Turkish companies in the Bay of Bengal region and Turkiye for Bangladeshi companies in the EU and the Central Asian regions.”
Turkish ambassadors in Dhaka will be patrons of BTBF while honorary consul generals of Turkiye in Bangladesh will be honorary members of the Executive Board.
Mustafa Osman Turan, ambassador of the Republic of Turkiye to Bangladesh, expressed his pleasure at the decision of the seventeen companies to unite their forces for the mutual benefit of both countries.
“From now on, there is a new powerful business platform which will rebrand Turkiye in Bangladesh and Bangladesh in Turkiye so that our people can get to know each other better and tap into their full potential through partnerships and joint projects,” Ambassador Turan told the founding members at their meeting.
A BTBF delegation is planning to visit Turkiye in September to meet with the Turkish government and business representatives and to explore opportunities for collaboration.
