Bangladesh’s Strategic Leap with Türkiye in Defence Industry

Reading Time: 4 minutes Türkiye and Bangladesh are deepening their bilateral defence cooperation with a landmark initiative to establish joint production facilities in the Bangladeshi cities of Chattogram and Narayanganj. The project, which will involve the manufacture of weapons, munitions, and military vehicles, represents a strategic shift for both nations and positions Bangladesh as a key production and export hub for Turkish defence products into Southeast Asia and the wider Asia-Pacific region. This move reflects a calculated convergence of strategic interests, industrial capability, and regional diplomacy. Defence cooperation between the two countries dates back to the early 1980s when a formal bilateral defence agreement was signed, allowing for technical cooperation, limited equipment transfer, and military training exchanges. At that time, Türkiye was in the early stages of building an indigenous defence industrial base, primarily led by entities such as Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation (MKE), ASELSAN, and later, companies like