The political void caused by the ouster of previous Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024 has opened up fresh geopolitical stakes in South Asia, with Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stepping up his bid to promote an Islamist agenda through increased defence and economic cooperation with Dhaka.
Developing reports indicate that there is a strategic triangle between Turkey, Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), and Bangladesh's Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) directed towards degrading Indian influence in the region.
Intelligence sources say that the three groups are organizing the flow of money, weapons, and ideological propaganda throughout South Asia, making Bangladesh a major launchpad for anti-India operations. These moves have acquired added importance following Turkey openly standing with Pakistan during India's Operation Sindoor, initiated in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
Ankara's increasing close relationship with Dhaka is viewed by many as being part of an overall strategy to enhance Islamist rule and diminish regional pluralism.
Notwithstanding being proscribed during Hasina's rule, the Jamaat-e-Islami has stayed organizationally strong. In a historic turn of events in June, Bangladesh's Supreme Court ordered the reinstatement of the registration of the party, and it will be able to participate in the next national elections. This about-face is a dramatic divergence from the Awami League's zero-tolerance approach towards extremism — an approach that had hitherto synced with India's security interests, particularly concerning Northeastern rebel factions utilizing Bangladeshi land as safe havens.
Turkey's AKP government has been connected to Muslim Brotherhood-networked groups for more than a decade, including patronage to Bangladesh's JeI since 2010.
Intelligence reports also suggest that Islamist organizations in Bangladesh, particularly the JeI, are being financially and logistically supported by Turkish and Pakistani intelligence agencies. On July 26, Yasin Aktay, a former Turkish MP and a former advisor to President Erdogan, made a visit to JeI chief Shafiqur Rahman at the headquarters of the party in Dhaka, recently renovated with suspected funding from Turkey's National Intelligence Organisation (MIT), which is said to work in coordination with Turkish diplomatic missions.
Turkey's South Asian ambitions seem to be strategically stacked. Its relations with Bangladesh, though formally centred on trade and defence, are embedded in a wider geopolitics of preferring Islamabad and presenting New Delhi as a regional adversary.
Over the years, Erdogan’s administration has shifted from a pro-democracy stance to political Islamism. This ideological shift has shaped Turkey’s policy towards South Asia, guided not just by the AKP but also with the backing of the Turkish military, foreign office, media, and civil society.
With Bangladesh's general elections next year, analysts predict that both Turkish and Pakistani intelligence are interested in manipulating the political turbulence to affect election results and possibly place a government less pro-Indian.
Military and Defence Ties Strengthen Between Dhaka and Ankara
One of the most important indicators of this realignment is the consolidation of defence relations. A Turkish delegation headed by Haluk Gorgun, President of Turkish Defence Industries (SSB), visited Dhaka on 8–9 July and met with Bangladesh's highest military leadership, including Army Chief General Waker-uz-Zaman, Naval Chief Admiral Nazmul Hassan, and Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal Hassan Mahmud Khan.
The talks centered on technology transfers, modern military equipment procurements, and co-production of defence infrastructure. Impressively, Turkey committed to assisting in the development of two defence production centers in Chittagong and Narayanganj.
Favourable financing terms for the procurement of Turkey's Bayraktar TB-2 drones, TRG-300 rocket systems, Otokar Cobra-II MRAPs, among other advanced arms, have been sought by Bangladesh. Gorgun's visit highlighted the drive towards building long-term strategic defence ties through foreign direct investment and industrial collaborations.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) Chairman Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun toured Turkey in the months of May and June 2025. He offered co-production projects and liberal tax and duty concessions to attract Turkish defence companies to invest in Bangladesh. Harun sat down with Turkish defense industry executives like MKE and Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation in Kirikkale to discuss cooperation on artillery shell manufacture, drone purchases, and production of MPT-76 rifles and PMT machine guns.
Expanding the defence cooperation, chiefs of Bangladesh's Navy and Air Force took part in the 17th International Defence Industry Fair in Istanbul between July 22 and 27. In the meantime, Bangladesh has engaged with Bay Galata International for Counter-UAV systems to protect Saint Martin Island against air threats.
Expanding Trade and Investment Outreach
Besides defense relations, Turkey has been actively pushing its economic influence in Bangladesh. In the early part of this year, Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat headed a high-level business delegation to Dhaka to look for business opportunities in technology, logistics, infrastructure, mining, and clean energy sectors.
Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Advisor Touhid Hossain also toured Antalya in April to attend the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, where he engaged with Turkish Aerospace CEO Mehmet Demiroglu. Hossain reiterated the desire for a trustworthy aerospace partner and outlined possible mutual gains from collaboration.
Under the present caretaker government under Prime Minister Mohammad Yunus, bilateral relations between Ankara and Dhaka have become much stronger. Bangladesh is now the fourth-largest purchaser of Turkish defence exports, which comprise armoured personnel carriers, multi-role rocket launchers, and mine-resistant vehicles. Drones and UAV systems are also a major area of cooperation.
