Turkey President's Son Lands In Bangladesh With TIKA Chief 24 Hours After Rahman's Oath-Taking

Last Updated:February 19, 2026, 08:38 IST

On Thursday, sources say Bilal Erdoğan will visit Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar and meet Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Mohammad Mizanur Rahman.

After India began resetting ties with its eastern neighbour Bangladesh under the ruling Bangladesh ist Party (BNP) and its Chairman, Tarique Rahman, an unsettled Turkish leadership — which had enjoyed warm relations with Bangladesh during the Muhammad Yunus regime — quietly dispatched Bilal Erdoğan to Dhaka on Wednesday.

The Turkish President’s son did not arrive alone. He was accompanied by Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) President Abdullah Eren. Local journalists told News18 they were kept in the dark about the visit. It was only at around 9 am on Wednesday, when Bilal Erdoğan — son of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan — landed at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal Airport in a private aircraft, that they became aware of it. Footballer Mesut Özil and TİKA chief Abdullah Eren were on the same plane.

TİKA’s expanding footprint in South Asia has raised security concerns in neighbouring India. Its projects, along with growing engagement from other Turkish entities, are viewed by Indian observers as a potential strategic concern. TİKA’s development initiatives, such as a technical institute in Lalmonirhat, have drawn scrutiny. Intelligence agencies have also flagged concerns that TİKA and associated Turkish NGOs may be promoting pan-Islamist ideologies, potentially influencing local political dynamics in ways that align with the anti-India positions of certain Islamist factions, including Jamaat-e-Islami. The strengthening of Turkey-Bangladesh ties through TİKA is also interpreted by some analysts as part of a broader Turkey-Pakistan-China alignment aimed at countering India’s regional influence.

After completing passport and customs procedures, the delegation checked into a star hotel in Dhaka at around 10:30 am. An hour later, they visited TİKA’s project coordination office in the capital.

They later inaugurated a newly built medical centre at Dhaka University. Work on the project began with TİKA funding after Jamaat-e-Islami’s student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir, swept the Dhaka University Students’ Union elections last year.

On Thursday, Bilal Erdoğan is scheduled to visit the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar. According to sources, he will meet Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Mohammad Mizanur Rahman. He is also set to visit the Turkish Field Hospital in Camp 9, the TİKA Multipurpose Education and Culture Centre in Camp 16, attend the award ceremony of the third Rohingya Football Tournament organised by TİKA in Camp 4, and visit the El Shifa Model Girls’ School run by the Turkish Religious Affairs Foundation in Camp 5.

This quiet but significant visit comes within 24 hours of Tarique Rahman, chairman of the Bangladesh ist Party, being sworn in as Prime Minister of Bangladesh on Tuesday (February 17, 2026). Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla attended the swearing-in ceremony and conveyed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s wishes to Rahman, who took office nearly two years after Sheikh Hasina resigned following mass protests. In a sign of a possible thaw after strained ties between the two neighbours, Prime Minister Modi was among the first leaders to reach out to Rahman following his election victory, inviting him to visit India at his “earliest convenience".

Turkey, which had sided with Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, now appears to be operationalising its Bangladesh strategy.

News world Turkey President's Son Lands In Bangladesh With TIKA Chief 24 Hours After Rahman's Oath-Taking

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