PM to Tour Three Countries in October-November

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman returned home from New York on Sunday after attending the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. His visit was aimed at strengthening Bangladesh’s position on the international stage. He is now preparing to visit Japan, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia in October and November. Diplomatic activities have already begun ahead of the three visits. Bangladesh missions in Tokyo, Riyadh and Ankara have confirmed the plans, while senior officials are holding discussions with their counterparts.

According to senior Foreign Ministry officials, the visit programme will begin with Japan in the last week of October. At the invitation of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Tarique Rahman is expected to stay in Tokyo for three to four days. The visit comes as Bangladesh and Japan continue efforts to deepen their relations. During former Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus’s visit to Tokyo in May 2025, the two countries signed seven memorandums of understanding on investment, energy and technology. They also set a target of sending 100,000 skilled workers to Japan over the following five years.

Diplomatic sources said the prime minister’s upcoming Japan visit will focus on expanding investment, organising a business conference and reviewing progress on manpower exports. After Japan, the prime minister is expected to visit Türkiye in early November. The 31st UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) will be held in Antalya from November 9 to 20, with the high-level segment scheduled for November 11 and 12. Tarique Rahman is expected to stay in Türkiye from November 10 to 12 to attend the summit.

For Bangladesh, one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change, COP31 is considered particularly important. More than a decade after the Paris climate agreement, the key issues now include implementing previously announced climate targets and ensuring effective climate finance and compensation mechanisms.

Kazi Ehsanul Haque, director general of the Climate and Environment Wing of the Foreign Ministry, told Daily Inqilab, “The position that the Prime Minister presented on climate issues at the United Nations General Assembly can be considered Bangladesh’s main ‘position point’ or policy at the international and diplomatic level. The issues or principles that the Prime Minister announced at the UN platform are the government’s main position on climate issues, and this will also be considered the main point at the upcoming conferences.”

After Türkiye, the prime minister is expected to visit Saudi Arabia in the second half of November at the invitation of Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman. Officials from both countries have already started discussions on arranging the visit. Saudi Arabia has increasingly sought to expand its relations with Bangladesh beyond traditional manpower exports. During a meeting in Dhaka last August, Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed El-Khereiji expressed interest in investment in fisheries, food, energy, renewable energy, information technology and artificial intelligence.

Saudi Ambassador to Bangladesh Abdullah Zafar H. Bin Abia recently said the next five years could be a transformative period for the economic relations between the two countries. More than 2.8 million Bangladeshis currently work in Saudi Arabia, making it Bangladesh’s largest overseas labour market. Diplomatic sources said the prime minister’s planned Saudi visit may focus on strengthening bilateral relations, energy imports, investment agreements and exchanges on regional and international issues. Continued Saudi support for the Rohingya issue is also expected to receive importance.