Ankara
The existing point of bilateral relations between Ankara and Dhaka is in a position to take off, Bangladesh’s most sensible diplomat said on a scale in Turkey, and emphasized that a slight touch from both governments is needed to move things forward.
At an inclusive assembly with the Anadolu Agency in Ankara, its four-day stopover in Turkey, Bangladeshi Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said the economy and industry would be at the center of bilateral relations.
He talked about the Rohingya refugee crisis, Dhaka’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic recovery plan.
With regard to normalization agreements with Israel and arab states, Momen said Bangladesh’s objectives of the factor were a lasting two-state solution with Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.
Anadolu Agency (AA): Since the status quo of diplomatic relations between Bangladesh and Turkey in 1974, the two countries have experienced ups and downs in their relations. What is the current state of bilateral relations?
AK Abdul Momen: We have a very strong courtship with Turkey. Turkey identified Bangladesh in 1974. Since then, little by little, our relations have improved. In the last 10 to 12 years, our courtship has been strong. Our Prime Minister went to Turkey and Turkish President [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan went to [Bangladesh] when he was prime minister.
Turkey is doing very well, too. And Bangladesh is doing very well in terms of economic expansion and stability. We’ve done it. Indeed, in the area of economic expansion, we have become a style for emerging countries. This is a global development, not only in line with the capita income. GDP is growing. Also the popular of life and life expectancy, everything has more, life expectancy is higher from 62 years to 74 years now, so it is a geometric elevation. And other people’s purchasing ability has also soared, so all of this has increased purchasing capacity.
Now [Bangladesh] is a land of opportunity, if you invest something, it produces something, there is a big market for it. Not only for its 165 million inhabitants, But Bangladesh has very intelligent relations with all its neighbors. We have strong connectivity with our neighbors like India for example, as well as with other neighbors like Nepal and Bhutan. Our location is very central. On the one hand there is India and on the other is the great China, so we are in a very smart location.
Now, given these, [. . . ] Bangladesh and Turkey are Muslim countries. Turkey’s principles and objectives are to achieve the improvement of the Ummaah [Muslim network around the world], as well as to have a non-violent world. ] the same principle, we would like to have a non-violent world. Bangladesh is the leader of world peace. We are effectively engaged in countries emerging from conflict [through the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission] in some 36 countries. have served the United Nations in many countries, so now I have reached a safe position We are the largest country in the world.
And Turkey is fine. Previously, Turkey was mainly committed to doing business with Europeans and Russians, but now they are also on the hunt. Turkey has reached a niche in the structure work box, we do a lot of structure.
Therefore, in the process, we have developed an industrial link with Turkey and more communication. Connectivity is increasing. Today, in many areas, we think the same way, and that gives us a point of self-confidence. No wonder we have [a lot in common]. Yesterday, we just opened our project in Ankara, one of Bangladesh’s largest projects. And Turkey is already doing it. They will incorporate it later this month, I think, our prime minister invited President Erdogan and his family, and the Turkish chancellor agreed to make a stopover in Bangladesh, and with that, they will bring entrepreneurs.
And I think our political appointments are very strong, our ad appointments are going to explode. Currently, we have a turnover of about $1 billion. President Erdogan needs you to succeed at $3 billion. So we’re ahead.
AA: Turkey and Bangladesh are doing very well in the economic field, especially among emerging country economies and Turkey is one of the largest economies in the world and is also doing so intelligently in the sector. And you said the volume of industry between the two countries about a billion dollars. And why don’t these two countries sing about a flexible industrial agreement?
Momen: We approach Turkey for not a flexible industrial agreement, but a competent industrial agreement (ACPr), maybe we will, it will be in the process. It takes time, you know, in the bureaucracy, there are processes, but I hope it will be done.
So now you’re right that the volume of industry deserves to have been much higher, Turkey, for many years, has done very well, and of course, we hope to have a greater commercial relationship, many pieces that we export, for example, clothing. Turkey also produces the same thing. So there’s a time substitute and, as a result, it hasn’t increased. But not all the pieces. There are many that are complementary in those areas. Turkey imposes more price lists on Bangladeshi clothing, which is the largest exportable. More than 84% of our exports are clothing. But, unfortunately, Turkey has imposed more price lists on this, fearful of competing with its own garment industry. We’ve done a lot to them because a lot of the items aren’t substitutes, they’re free. And we communicated it yesterday, and the Foreign Minister said he would contact the Minister of Trade.
I do, because Turkey is a wonderful economy. Of course, we expect us to get more foreign direct investment from Turkey. They argued that there was an organization called TIKA, which helped facilitate this [investment], but its workplace is very weak in Bangladesh. Now we’re looking for the right guy and narrowing the gaps. And in the process, once they are reduced, I hope they increase.
AA: In recent years, Turkey has done a great job in generating indigenous parts for the arms industry, at what level is bilateral dating in the defence sector?
Momen: Our first goal is economic development. Also, we do not need to turn Bangladesh into a fortress. So our interest in army building, I mean, especially in purchasing apparatus, was a secondary interest. Change. Of course, we have industrial agreements with Turkey. We bought some of their weapons. We like to buy guns, but we don’t buy too many guns unlike many other countries. But anyway, we would like to have a folder of amendments from many countries, not just one. Therefore, it is a general precept that we would like to have a portfolio of arms suppliers or even companies. We buy it from China. They have smart gadgets and the rest of our people are used to it. So the procedure is underway, but now we must be very careful. Bangladesh is an island of peace and stability. And every time you have the extra weapons, they are the new mindset of the developer of your aggression, so we don’t need to do that. Therefore, we are very weak in this area. And our strength will be economic development. Our strength is to spread the gospel of peace and friendship. We have a very strong friendship with all of them. Our foreign policy precept was enunciated through our father from the country of Bangabandhu, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. And it’s very simple: friendship with everyone and meanness with no one. And we hold it. As a result, we have no enemies. And we don’t have to store weapons.
You see, right now, this is a new lesson for us. In this COVID-19 pandemic, we discovered that weapons stocks did not help save lives. The network of world leaders spends about $1. 8 trillion a year on weapons. a lot of cash in the gun, they deserve to spend more on medical, social and even climate changes. It’s a wake-up call for global leadership. They deserve to divert these resources and help humanity, the way of life of people. These weapons, the accumulation of weapons did not help save human lives.
AA: How does Turkish comfortable power, especially the Turkish television series and its effect on interpersonal relationships, qualify?
Momen: You see that the environment was created for interpersonal relationships. In Bangladesh, we all know turkey’s heroes, Kemal Ataturk is a surname. Suleyman the Magnificent and Ertugrul, today, have become familiar thanks to the TELEVISION series.
So, when other people have a strong relationship, they also relate to their history, the history of the Khilafat and the Sultanate and all that, so the environment is there. All we have to do is get an injection. The environment is defined. It’s done. Now the government has to make a small effort and, if we do, our economic relations will explode. That’s my feeling. Everything’s fine, the level’s set. Now we have to try a little hard and we do it, and I hope things are different, much better.
Turkey, Bangladesh’s main hub on the Rohingya theme
AA: Turkey still appreciates Bangladesh’s wonderful efforts for the Rohingya, a country that has taken in more than one million refugees from Myanmar. On the other hand, Turkey also plays a key role in this humanitarian factor and must bring it to the external agenda. How does Bangladesh see this initiative from Turkey?
Momen: From the first day about 800,000 Rohingya arrived in August 2017, Bangladeshi citizens first welcomed them, gave them shelter and food, and because [the Rohingya] are persecuted, they were in a desperate situation outside of humanity. The minister also welcomed them. And now, about 1. 2 million Rohingya take refuge in camps.
Turkey went ahead from the beginning, what did they do? They set up a hospital, a very smart hospital, and controlled it with their own money. They have also provided a lot of humanitarian assistance, so from day one they have been helping. The first [Turkish] girl and the foreign minister visited the Rohingya camps and were very supportive. And they also warned that they would like to take care of some of them [Rohingya refugees] in Bangladesh if we provide them with land. But you know, we don’t have much land in Bangladesh, so we can’t do that. But they [the Turks] helped us. Until recently, because of COVID-19, one of his doctors [in Bangladesh] died.
On the foreign stage, they [the Turks] have been more important in this factor since day one. And they formed Bangladesh in the OCI [Organization of Islamic Cooperation] at the UN, whereever they edited. Not only that. Currently, on behalf of the OIC, The Gambia has taken the Rohingya factor, as the world must be responsible for ethnic cleansing and genocide of the Rohingya, to the CIJ [the International Court of Justice]. and he’s helping us. And also, they promised that they would go all the way to help Bangladesh. So we’re very proud of Turkey, because from day one, they’ve been unwavering about this by the Rohingya. not only because [the Rohingya] are Muslims, but also because of the humanity that [the Turks] have helped and edited.
Global policy and economy on Myanmar, key to rohingya repatriation
AA: Last week, the media revealed that two Burmese army infantrymen confessed their atrocities and admitted killing dozens of people with a high-level order. The Rohingya?
Momen: These are two problems. One is duty and the other is repatriation. There are two courts. One is the CIJ, where the Gambia case is ongoing. If they make a trial, they will find the whole country guilty of the genocide, not any individual. Then, in that case, [the court] will order them [in Myanmar] to replace their technique for dealing with their ethnic communities. And they [the court] have already issued provisional decisions and Myanmar has to stick to them. And those [decisions] are that they will no longer have to discriminate and kill the ethnic community. They have to preserve, you know, all the evidence of genocide and ethnic cleansing. And they’ll have to deal with them, and Array But Myanmar doesn’t stick to them to this day.
The other case is at the International Criminal Court (ICC), where these two army men confessed their atrocities. There has been a lot of evidence, but Myanmar does not allow anyone to enter the country, especially in Rakhine Province, and collect information. But there’s a lot of evidence, as you know, there’s now 1. 2 million Rohingya in our camps. If you need evidence, you can go [to the camps] and interrogate them [rohingya], and they will tell your stories of misery and misery. In those processes, you can download this evidence directly from the Rohingya.
But those two young men, on their own, volunteered to reveal data that they had been ordered to kill other people on the site, whether they were children, women or anyone else, so that’s very false evidence. . . and gave the evidence to the ICC, which would possibly impose their orders on people. So, in this case, some Myanmar leaders may also be concerned about the offender’s case, and in this case, the ICC can order his arrest and put them in jail, but it is also based on the wonderful powers and how they see things. In some cases, there were some doubts about your orders. But it gives Myanmar a sign that it will have to behave [well the Rohingya] and should not endanger the lives of the other people it takes: minorities.
This does not ensure [peaceful] repatriation. We have agreements with Myanmar, because Myanmar is our neighbor with smart neighbors, Myanmar is our friendly country, and Myanmar has created this challenge. This Rohingya challenge created through Myanmar, so the solution also belongs to them.
Myanmar agreed to take them back after an audit process. Myanmar agreed to provide them with security and protection. Myanmar also agreed to create a supportive environment in Rakhine Province so that other displaced persons can return home voluntarily. [Myanmar] They’ve accepted everything but haven’t implemented anything yet. Therefore, no single has returned to Myanmar.
But we hope that this challenge will be resolved, because in early 1992, some 253,000 Rohingya were uprooted from their homes and fled to Bangladesh; then, through negotiations and dialogue, about 230,000 returned. Even in 1970, these Rohingya have lived in Myanmar for centuries. The Burmese letter was drafted through one of the Rohingya leaders who was a member of the cupboard at the time of Aung San Suu Kyi’s father. But, unfortunately, they have now been differentiated and stateless. It’s very sad.
So this is not Bangladesh’s challenge. Rohingya is not our challenge, it is the challenge of global leadership. Everyone is presenting, exerting pressure, political pressure, economic pressure in Myanmar. And if the pressure is exerted . . . In 1992, an explanation for why Myanmar was under strong political and economic pressure. The United States has imposed sanctions on them, as have many other countries.
Today, Myanmar is violating human rights and committing the worst kind of genocide, the most industrialized countries are making a smart industry with Myanmar and making an investment in it. That has to change. And I can’t ask for that. It is their ethical and ethical position that deserves to allow them to take a position [against Myanmar] and prevent them from doing business [with them] or imposing an economic sanction on Myanmar or a moratorium on economic relations until those other people are repatriated and they [Myanmar] agreed to take them back. They [rohingya] are his other people. Myanmar is developing, and many other people will want, those other people, their own people, can be an advantage for the country in its process of progression.
On the other hand, the worst component is that if the challenge of this large number of people is not solved, it can create a wallet of radicalism and terrorism, and terrorists have no borders, they have no faith, they can create some uncertainty in AND if there is uncertainty, then investment through Western countries or even China or other Myanmar countries would be questionable , because your investment may be in trouble.
If there was uncertainty in the area, it would be bad for everyone, it would be bad for Bangladesh, it would be bad for Myanmar, it would be bad for all neighboring countries adding China, India and those who invest in it. So we want to solve the challenge as temporarily as possible. In Myanmar, Bangladesh and South Asia, we look to a more non-violent [environment] and more sustained economic development. We can’t have a smart life and live without solving this challenge.
All countries in the region deserve to anticipate these challenges as soon as possible. It is an advantage for them, not only for our intelligents, but also for the intelligent of all. For example, a look at the Middle East. In the Middle East, the Israeli-Palestinian issue is the key to so many challenges around the world, and you don’t need to see a similar challenge elsewhere.
AA: It’s great to hear that you have high hopes for repatriation, but the Bangladeshi government plans to reset more than 100,000 Rohingya on a remote island called Bhasan Char. Does that send a message to the Rohingya that there is no hope of repatriation?and what are we putting you there permanently?
Momen: It’s a compromise. Because there is too much congestion in the [existing refugee camp] domain in Kutupalong, [Cox’s Bazar]. These 1. 1 million more people live on 6,800 acres of land. It’s too much and we’re involved in those are mountainous spaces where we’ve installed them, so if it rains a lot in the monsoon season, there’s the option of landslides, and if there’s a landslide, many of them will. Die.
To lessen this threat and congestion, we have to move a hundred thousand to this island as a phenomenon of transitority. It is not a permanent [regulation]. These Rohingya can have a better life, they can achieve their goals and have a dignified life only when they return home, so our number one priority is the repatriation of the Rohingya to their home country. another country can settle for them too. If they [those countries] need to take the Rohingya, they are invited to take them. But not two or three people. If you take it, take a giant number and decrease the load. Therefore, this option is also open. But it is a phenomenon of undeniable transitoryness.
The other thing is to look at so many other people in small businesses without work, not anything, so they are frustrated. But we’re moving about 20,000 families to another position [Bhasan Char] and we’re going to allow them to do economic activities there. There is plenty of space, they can do economic activities such as fishing, agriculture, the bellowing of the goat and cow and in the procedure they will remain occupied. But in Kututpalong [the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar], they have nothing to do eating 3 times a day and they create problems.
At Comx’s Bazar, we hosted them at the time, first of all the locals welcomed them, but now the number of other displaced people, the Rohingya, is more than double the local population and they are taking away their jobs. region. Many other people are very upset and many of those Rohingya have nothing else to do. They have been concerned about drug trafficking, human trafficking and various criminal activities.
So, we took some of them to Bhasan Char to lessen the death threat first. Secondly, it will give them a better life. They can do economic activities [there]. It’s not enough to feed them, it’s not smart for the future. Bashan Char is a beautiful land, a beautiful position, and we build a beautiful position for those other people to stay there and spend about $300 million, with our own money.
AA: Recently, a 40 Rohingya organization visited the island for inspection, but the challenge is that while foreign organizations, especially the UN refugee agency, are criticizing resettlement in Bhasan Char, why has the government taken a foreign observer on field trips with the Rohingya?
Momen: Of course, they [the foreign aid groups] are in a position to leave. You see, that’s the saddest thing. The staff of these foreign aid agencies and all the UN agencies that are there [at Cox’s Bazar] are meant to help persecuted people. But first they care about their best lives. Currently, we have 34 camps, which are located near our Resort in Cox’s Bazar, about 15 minutes’ drive away. So what they do, they come to those spaces to help the displaced, they come around 10:11 and paint until 3:30 pm, then they return to their hotels, five-star hotels, four-star hotels in Cox’s. , then enjoy the rest of your night there.
Now in Bhasan Char do not have such hotels, we do not have five star hotels there, if they pass they can not have that sumptuous life, they paint a week, they have two weeks off and they move to Bangkok and there is a flight loose for them, so they are very critical to pass to Bhasan Char, since they will not get that advantage.
And something else, at Cox’s Bazar, those [painters’] agencies bring their friends just for fun. Now, if you have to go to Bhasan Char, it’ll take you two and a half hours by boat. It’s a long time. So your friends who come from other places can’t go through them just for fun, so they have to paint harder there.
Bangladesh uses Wuhan style to fight COVID-19
AA: Moving on to the coronavirus pandemic, Bangladesh is doing a super task in combating the epidemic, daily instances and the number of deaths are relatively low, especially in countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Italy and even India. What is the secret to this success?
Momen: To tell you, God helps us a lot, but let me tell you that at first we were a little scared, because the media in the Western world, even the largest establishments in the Western world, like Oxford Studies, estimated that five to ten million more people would die. coronavirus in Bangladesh, so we were afraid. Our Prime Minister on the first very serious day about that.
We follow Wuhan’s model; segregations and blocking distances. But in our country, it is difficult to enforce regulations implemented through China. We are not a martial country like China. No we have many amenities such as in the UK or the US. U. S. in the medical field, technology; its population lives longer and its herbal nutrition is much greater, but the rest of our people don’t have that. So we were worried. At first, we were busy getting larger care units, more fans, more non-public protective devices [EPI] and had difficulty [recovering] them. But we were an ambitious step. And we’re looking to supply enough.
The owners of our garment factories have radically replaced their production to manufacture PPE, not only do we produce enough for the people of our country, we also export them, for example, we export 6. 5 million PPE to the United States, quality PPE. And also other medical equipment; hand sanitizers, caps, call it. We sold 22 other types of medical windshield wipers in the United States during this period of crisis.
Now, what have we done in the country? Due to the closure, we are locked up for almost 16 days, many other people were unemployed, without income, so our Prime Minister has established the condition that we will have to provide an essential meal to each and every household. in fact, the distribution was very fair.
We did a wonderful job. People communicate about smart governance and management, demonstrating that we have a fair formula for smart governance in Bangladesh. We have also created a public awareness program. [We encourage] hand washing, the use of masks, many have not followed them. possibly it was also our climate that helped us. As a result, they first expected five to 10 million deaths [but] so far we have 4,600 deaths. Thank goodness.
Bangladesh to a new normal
AA: Waiting for a wave of viruses in Bangladesh?
Momen: Maybe it is, but I don’t think we’re going to have the right time.
AA: What are the government’s plans to revive after the consequences of coronavirus?
Momen: We’re getting started. Our blockade is over. All offices, factories and everything are open schools. We’ve never closed our clothing factories. We haven’t closed our gigantic commercial units, not even the tea gardens, they painted even at the worst time of the epidemic, because we’re looking for other people to paint and energize, so we haven’t closed all those plants unlike many other countries. And now, basically, things are normal. Look, I’m an old man, but I’m visiting abroad, taking courage. We have foreign dignitaries visiting Bangladesh.
We’re getting more normal. We’re going back to the pre-COVID-19 situation, our offices paint as usual, but we keep our distance and hygiene to stay away from this virus.
We are getting normal, the economy button is booming. You see our export, the domain we are very afraid of. Our ready-to-wear exports in the past two months have soared to more than $ 3 million a month. So everything is fine. .
A two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian challenge is for lasting global peace
AA: Bangladesh is a strong advocate for the Palestinian cause. How does Dhaka see the normalization agreement between Israel and some Arab countries, especially those of the Gulf countries?
Momen: We hope the other Palestinian people have their homeland. We in both states, will have to be the State of Israel and the State of Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital. This is our main position, the major cardinal position.
Now, whatever happens now, there are many adjustments to the political situation, especially in the Middle East, I hope they will lead to the creation of the two-state solution. If you create the two-state solution, you’ll be welcome. We examined him. But our purpose would be to create the two-state solution, a lasting two-state solution, with protection, security and peace.
Without the two-state solution, we believe that there can be no lasting peace in the Middle East and the world.