Pakistan-backer Turkey to manufacture weapons in Bangladesh, shocking move by Yunus may cause trouble for India due to...

Bangladesh and Turkey are increasing their military cooperation, and this growing friendship is now expanding into defence industry development. Under the leadership of Mohammed Yunus, Bangladesh is now in talks with Turkey to build defence industrial complexes in the cities of Chattogram and Narayanganj. These discussions took place during a five-day official visit to Turkey by the Executive Chairman of Bangladesh's Investment Development Authority (BIDA), Chowdhury Ashiq Mahmood bin Harun.

Focus on Technology Transfer and Joint Production
The main aim of Harun’s visit was to build deeper strategic defence ties with Turkey. This includes co-production of military equipment, technology transfer, and capacity building for Bangladesh. According to a report by North East News, Harun and his team visited the facilities of Turkey’s state-owned defence company MKE (Makina ve Kimya Endüstrisi) located in the Kirikkale region of central Anatolia.

During the visit, the Bangladeshi team received classified briefings on MKE's artillery systems, energy weapons, and small arms. They also toured MKE’s production lines and testing sites to explore opportunities for future partnerships.

Not the First Time
This is not the first time Bangladesh and MKE have worked together. Last year, Bangladesh purchased 18 units of MKE Boran 105mm howitzers. There are now plans to increase this number to 200 units in the future. In addition, Bangladesh is reportedly considering the purchase of Otokar Tulpar light tanks, also made in Turkey.

Defence cooperation between Bangladesh and Turkey has been growing since 2018 when Dhaka bought 15 different types of military hardware from Turkish manufacturers, including the well-known Bayraktar TB2 drones. The latest talks with MKE are expected to strengthen industrial cooperation and defence integration between the two countries.

Reports suggest that both nations are preparing to enter formal talks to set up a joint Defence Industrial Working Group and sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to make the collaboration official.

This closer relationship between Bangladesh and Turkey comes at a time when tensions between India and Pakistan are high. Since Turkey has openly supported Pakistan during recent military standoffs with India, Turkey’s growing presence in India’s eastern neighbour may raise concerns in New Delhi.