17 companies form the Bangladesh-Turkiye Business Forum
Eleven Bangladeshi companies and six Turkish companies came together to establish the new Bangladesh-Türkiye Business Forum (BTBF) in a meeting hosted by the Turkish Embassy in Dhaka.
BTBF will strengthen support for bilateral trade, investment and cultural encounters and act as an advocacy platform promoting bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Turkey.
The founding members of the forum are: BTBF President, Rubana Huq, CEO of Mohammadi Group and Vice-Chancellor of Asian University for Women (AUW); Co-Chairman Salahuddin Kasem Khan, Chairman of the Board EC of AK Khan & Co Ltd; Vice President Kazi Zahedul Hasan, Founder and Managing Director of Kazi Farms Group; Secretary General Ercüment Polat, CEO of United Aygaz LPG Ltd; Alihussain Akberali, president of BSRM; Anjan Chowdhury, key shareholder of Square Group; Abul Khair Litu, chairman of Bengal Group Ltd and founder of Bengal Foundation; Enayetullah Khan, Founder and CEO of Cosmos Group; Mohamed Haniffa Mohamed Fairoz, CEO and Managing Director of Singer Bangladesh Ltd; Moinuddin Hasan Rashid, President and CEO of United Group; Mirza Salman Ispahani, Chairman and Managing Director of MM Ispahani Ltd; Sk Nasir Uddin, Chairman of Akij Group; Emrah Karaca, country manager of Turkish Airlines in Bangladesh; Hakan Altınışık, Director of Technology and Innovation at Arçelik; Mehmet Yıldız, Administrative and Financial Specialist at NKY Architects & Engineers; Muhammed Çağrı Ünal, construction coordinator at EPİK Holding, and Özgür Türk, country manager of LCWaikiki.
Rubana Huq, following his election as BTBF President, said, “May this forum strengthen bilateral ties, accelerate connections and maximize potential. The business-to-business and person-to-person connection will surely provide more opportunities for both sides to explore.
The BTBF will soon be legally constituted to carry out its activities through its working groups on trade, investment and cultural activities.
A research and data unit will also be created within its secretariat to develop collaboration with experts and relevant institutions, the Turkish embassy said in a statement.
Gender balance will be encouraged in the composition and leadership structure of BTBF, he added.
Salahuddin Kasem Khan, as Co-Chairman of BTBF and Honorary Consul General of Türkiye in Chattogram, said, “The Forum is important because some of the oldest and largest companies in Bangladesh and Türkiye are represented.
“Since both are members of the D-8 Economic Cooperation Organization, Bangladesh can evolve as a hub for Turkish businesses in the Bay of Bengal region and Türkiye for Bangladeshi businesses in the EU and regions of Central Asia.
Turkish ambassadors in Dhaka will be the patrons of BTBF while honorary consuls general of Türkiye in Bangladesh will be honorary board members, the statement added.
Mustafa Osman Turan, Turkish Ambassador to Bangladesh, welcomed the decision of the 17 Bangladeshi and Turkish companies to join forces for the mutual benefit of their two countries.
“From now on, there is a powerful new business platform that will rebrand Türkiye to Bangladesh and Bangladesh to Türkiye so that our people can get to know each other better and realize their full potential through joint partnerships and projects,” he said. ‘ambassador. founding members during their assembly.
A BTBF delegation plans to visit Turkey in September 2022 to meet with Turkish government and business representatives and explore opportunities for collaboration.
