New Delhi: India is keeping close watch on proceedings after reports of Bangladesh holding talks with Turkey to build defence industrial complexes at Chattogram and Narayanganj.
This could turn out to be a double whammy for India with Turkey continuing to offer unconditional support to Pakistan both during and after Operation Sindoor that was launched by India in response to the death of 26 people, mostly tourists from across the country, in the terror attack at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22.
Pakistan used Turkish drones and UCAVs against civilian and military targets in India during the four-day conflict, though India had initially carried out high-precision strikes only against terror facilities in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Bangladesh is also known to possess Turkish military hardware, including Bayraktar TB2 drones and MKE Boran 105 mm howitzers.
However, setting up manufacturing facilities for Turkish military equipment in India’s immediate neighbourhood takes matters to another level altogether.
According to sources, discussion took place during a five-day official visit to Turkey by the executive chairman of Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), Chowdhury Ashiq Mahmood bin Harun.
According to North East News, 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. Harun and his team apparently 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.
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.
