DHAKA, Nov 14, 2026 (V7N) – Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s three-day official visit to Turkiye for the COP31 climate summit has brought Bangladesh’s climate vulnerabilities to the forefront of global discussions while opening fresh avenues for bilateral trade, investment, and international cooperation.
Visiting Antalya from November 10 to 12, the Prime Minister used the World Leaders' Summit to advocate for climate justice for a nation contributing less than 0.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, before returning to Dhaka on Friday morning. Addressing the High-Level Segment of COP31, Tarique Rahman presented five urgent proposals to build a more equitable global climate finance system.
He urged the international community to dedicate at least 50 percent of climate funds to adaptation, introduce debt-relief measures alongside grant-based financing rather than loans, ensure fair access to green technologies, accelerate the renewable energy transition, and adopt the proposed Belem-Antalya Action Mechanism.
Domestically, he outlined Bangladesh's commitment to generating 20 percent of its electricity from renewables by 2030, developing 4,000 megawatts of solar capacity, planting 250 million trees over five years, and excavating 20,000 kilometres of rivers and canals, alongside highlighting nearly 300 LEED-certified garment factories and an upcoming national carbon-trading framework.
On the diplomatic front, a major highlight was the Prime Minister’s bilateral meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Maxx Royal Hotel in Antalya on November 10, where both leaders discussed expanding cooperation in trade, manufacturing, defense industries, and renewable energy, as well as Bangladesh’s role in UN peacekeeping and promoting stability in the Muslim world.
He also held high-level talks with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng regarding investments in heavy industry, energy, and infrastructure, and met with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to discuss direct air links, eased visa procedures, and a potential visit to Tashkent next year.
In separate meetings with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and British Foreign Secretary Edward Miliband, Tarique Rahman sought stronger international diplomatic pressure for the safe and dignified repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar, while also exchanging greetings with leaders from Brazil, Pakistan, Kuwait, Syria, Iran, the Maldives, Somalia, the OIC, and London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
Adding an environmental and cultural dimension to the trip, the Prime Minister's wife, Dr. Zubaida Rahman, joined Turkish First Lady Emine Erdogan to inaugurate the Zero Waste Museum in Antalya and addressed a side event on transforming waste into energy. Meanwhile, Tarique Rahman toured the Bangladesh Pavilion at the conference venue, showcasing eco-friendly Bangladeshi jute products as sustainable, biodegradable alternatives to synthetic plastics.
While no formal financial treaties were finalized during the trip, the engagements successfully transformed Bangladesh's climate outreach into specific policy demands, leaving Dhaka focused on converting these high-level commitments into tangible economic and environmental support.
END/AJ/RH
