Türkiye Keen to Send Women’s Health Experts as Dr. Zubaida Rahman Meets First Lady Emine Erdoğan

Türkiye has expressed a strong commitment to enhancing bilateral ties with Bangladesh across key sectors, including climate change mitigation, maternal and child healthcare, renewable energy, and eco-friendly manufacturing.

The commitment was highlighted during a high-level meeting between Dr. Zubaida Rahman, spouse of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, and Turkish First Lady Emine Erdoğan, who also serves as Chairperson of the Zero Waste Foundation. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the COP31 climate summit in Antalya, as announced by State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam during a press briefing.

A major outcome of the bilateral talks was First Lady Emine Erdoğan’s offer to deploy a team of Turkish healthcare experts to Bangladesh. The delegation will partner with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to address severe health vulnerabilities faced by women and children in climate-impacted coastal and marginalized communities.

Key topics addressed during the delegation meeting included:

• Collaborating on waste-to-energy projects, solar power generation, and sustainable technology transfers.

• Expanding international market access for Bangladeshi jute products as eco-friendly alternatives to single-use plastics.

• Reviewing national environmental initiatives, including Bangladesh’s nationwide tree planting and canal-excavation campaigns.

• Addressing the ongoing Rohingya humanitarian crisis, emphasizing sustainable repatriation alongside interim healthcare and education support.

Commending the resilience of Bangladeshis in the face of climate hazards, Emine Erdoğan accepted an invitation from Dr. Zubaida Rahman to visit Bangladesh, recalling her previous visit to the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar in 2017.