Bangladesh Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman returned home on Saturday after completing a five-day official visit to Turkey, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate. During the visit, he held separate courtesy meetings with Turkish National Defence Minister Yasar Gular and senior Turkish military and naval officials, including the chief of the general staff, the land forces commander and the director of Istanbul Naval Shipyard.

ISPR said the army chief also met a representative of Turkey's Defence Industry Agency. He received a guard of honour during a visit to the headquarters of the Turkish Land Forces. Discussions covered the friendly relationship between Bangladesh and Turkey, bilateral defence cooperation, military training, defence technology, defence-industry collaboration, capacity building and other matters of mutual interest.

Both sides expressed interest in further expanding professional ties, exchanges of experience and defence cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries. As part of the trip, General Waker-Uz-Zaman visited activities of leading Turkish defence-industry and military-technology companies, including ASISGUARD and Turkish Aerospace Industries. ISPR said the visit would help strengthen existing friendship and contribute to cooperation in defence industry, military technology, training and capacity development.