The United Nations launched a $1 billion appeal Thursday to help 5.2 million survivors of the most devastating earthquake in Türkiye’s modern history, two days after starting a $397 million appeal to help nearly 5 million Syrians across the border. The funding, which covers three months, will allow aid organisations to swiftly ramp up their operations to support government-led response efforts in areas that include food security, protection, education, water and shelter.   Both appeals will be followed by fresh appeals for longer-term help. “Türkiye is home to the largest number of refugees in the world and has shown enormous generosity to its Syrian neighbours for years,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said. “Now is the time for the world to support the people of Türkiye – just as they have stood in solidarity with others seeking assistance.”  UN Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths said: “The people of Türkiye have experienced unspeakable heartache. I met families who shared their stories of shock and devastation. We must stand with them in their darkest hour and ensure they receive the support they need.” The UN and partners have been rushing to support Türkiye and neighbouring Syria in the wake of the devastating earthquakes that struck on February 6.  More than nine million people in Türkiye alone have been directly impacted by the once-in-a-generation disaster, which has left 35,000 people dead in the country, according to the latest figures from the government.  Read more: Turkey probes contractors as earthquake deaths pass 33,000 The earthquakes struck at the peak of winter, leaving hundreds of thousands of people – including small children and elderly people – without access to shelter, food, water, heaters and medical care in freezing temperatures.  Some 47,000 buildings have been destroyed or damaged, including schools, hospitals and other essential services.   Thousands of people have sought refuge in temporary shelters across the country. Many families have been separated, and hundreds of children are now orphaned or unable to be reunited with their parents.  Around 3.6 million Syrians have found a safe haven in Türkiye, along with nearly 320,000 people of other nationalities, according to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR.  More than 1.74 million refugees live in the 11 provinces impacted by the earthquakes.  The UN is coordinating the operations of thousands of search-and-rescue personnel in five provinces – Adiyaman, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kahramanmaraş and Malatya – and humanitarian organisations have begun relief operations in the hardest-hit areas, in support of the government-led response.  This week also saw the launch of a nearly $400 million appeal for Syria, where aid delivery from across the border with Türkiye is continuing. UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said shelter needs are the top priority among displaced people there, where many homes have collapsed in the aftermath of the earthquakes. Read more: UN appeals for $1 billion to help Türkiye earthquake survivors More than 8,900 buildings are completely or partially destroyed, leaving 11,000 people homeless. Other priorities include food, cash assistance and supplies to cope with the harsh winter weather. 

Sea Pearl Beach Resort and Spa in Cox's Bazar Wednesday said it recently won three awards at The World Luxury Hotel Awards in Turkiye's Antalya. "The resort won the 2022 Global Luxury Seaside Resort and 2022 Best Luxury Health and Fitness Spa awards. Sea Pearl Group General Manager Azeem Shah won the 2022 Best General Manager award," said a media statement Wednesday. Read more: BAT Bangladesh scoops up ACES Awards 2022 as 'top sustainability advocate' Azeem said, "The awards bear testament that Sea Pearl Cox's Bazar is well positioned to meet the growing demand for upscale accommodation, offering the finest hospitality experience, service and dining while being ecologically responsible." Sea Pearl, which started its journey in 2015 on a 15-acre land in Cox's Bazar Inani, has 493 rooms and suites.

With an aim to promote bilateral relations, the Bangladesh-Türkiye Business Forum (BTBF) was officially launched on Tuesday paving the way for a new era in trade and investment between the two countries. “This is an important occasion for us because our countries are building another bridge through this business forum,” said outgoing Turkish Ambassador to Bangladesh Mustafa Osman Turan. Prime Minister's Private Industry and Investment Adviser Salman F Rahman spoke at the event as the chief guest which began with brief classical music at the Turkish Embassy in Dhaka. An hour before the launching event at the Embassy, Ambassador Turan together with the BTBF leaders opened the office of BTBF at “Marina Mansion” at city’s Gulshan-2. Read more: Robust leadership, political trust fortified Dhaka-Ankara economic, defence ties: Turan Honorary Consul General of Türkiye in Chattogram and co-chairman of BTBF Salahuddin Kasem Khan, Managing Director of Mohammadi Group and BTBF chairperson Dr. Rubana Huq and CEO of United AYGAZ LPG Ltd and BTBF Secretary Ercument Polat spoke at the event.

Bangladesh needs promotional campaigns in Turkiye to attract FDI (foreign direct investment), said Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industries (DCCI) President Rizwan Rahman. An 86-member business delegation of the Dhaka Chamber led by its president attended a forum on “Exploring trade and investment opportunities between Bangladesh and Turkiye” in Istanbul organized by Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkiye (DEIK) on Thursday, according to a press release. Rizwan said Bangladesh is ready to take Turkish investment right at this moment. It needs to be figured out if there are any tariff and non-tariff barriers in terms of exporting to Turkiye, he added. He also stressed on knowledge transfer and technology transfer, research and knowledge sharing. He invited Turkish carpet makers to import quality jute from Bangladesh. He further termed RMG value chain, automotive, leather and footwear, pharmaceutical, plastic and infrastructure as the potential sectors for Turkish entrepreneurs in Bangladesh. Mentioning that export grew by 34.38% till June 2022 despite Covid situation, he said that Bangladesh has a good demographic dividend. The total working age people is 65% in Bangladesh. The Turkiye-Bangladesh Business Council was established in 2011 and the Bangladesh-Turkiye Business Forum was established in 2022. Moreover both the countries are member states of D8 and OIC. He also suggested forming a joint economic commission with an active participation of the private sector. During the meeting Chairman of DEIK/Turkiye-Bangladesh Business Council Onur Ozden said Turkish entrepreneurs are already in operation in Bangladesh and the others are very keen to explore these possibilities further. But the bilateral trade between these two countries should be increased and for that exchange of such business delegations would be the best option. Ambassador of Turkiye in Bangladesh Mostafa Osman Turan said Bangladesh is giving different fiscal and non-fiscal incentives to the foreign investors. B2B in that case plays a vital role for enhancing trade and investment. He also said that at present bilateral trade has crossed USD1.3 billion and it has a potential to grow more. Bangladesh’s market is a large market and Turkish investors may explore this opportunity. Infrastructure development, policy reforms and ease of business registration process will attract Turkish investors in Bangladesh, he added. Ambassador of Bangladesh in Ankara Mosud Mannan said private sectors of both the countries need to play a catalytic role. Despite there being a language barrier between the two countries but still it can be overcome, he added. Bangladesh government will establish 100 economic zones with different lucrative packages and that will foster foreign investors to come and invest in Bangladesh, hoped Mosud. More than 110 companies invited by DEIK joined for an interactive B2B session with the DCCI business delegation members after the business forum. At the end, a memorandum of understanding was signed between Dhaka Chamber of Commerce & Industry and Istanbul Gedik University. DCCI President Rizwan Rahman and President, Board of Trustees, Istanbul Gedik University Hulya Gedik signed the document on behalf of their respective organizations. Mohammad Nore-Alam, Consul General of Bangladesh to Istanbul was also present during the meeting.

An 86-member business delegation from Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) will leave for Istanbul, Türkiye on Tuesday on a four-day visit. DCCI President Rizwan Rahman will be leading the business delegation. The purpose of the visit will be to explore a new scope of business and investment cooperation especially in the diverse manufacturing, general trading and service sectors with a view to identify potential business partners for joint venture investment, attract FDI from Türkiye to Bangladesh and vice versa. Bangladesh and Türkiye have been maintaining a friendly diplomatic and economic relation since ages, said the chamber body on Monday ahead of the visit. The long standing bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Türkiye reached a “new height” with increasing trade and investment cooperation in diverse areas. To steer this friendly economic relation, the DCCI is leading the business delegation to Istanbul, Türkiye. During this business trip, the delegation will have several interactive business meetings with one of the largest Chambers in the world, the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, the Foreign Economic Relations Board of Türkiye (DEIK). Moreover, there will be Türkiye-Bangladesh Business Forum, business to business (B2B) match-makings, industry visits and meetings with the Turkish Trade Minister Mehmet MUS. Members of the DCCI business delegation will also visit a few Industrial Zones of Turkey.

An agreement for shipping grain from Ukrainian ports through the Black Sea will be signed on Friday with the participation of Russia, Ukraine, the United Nations and Türkiye, the Turkish presidency said on Thursday. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres are expected to attend the signing ceremony, which will be held at the Dolmabahce Presidential Office in Istanbul on Friday at 18:30 local time (15:30 GMT), it said. The agreement comes at a time when there are growing concerns about a global food shortage as a result of the protracted crisis in Ukraine, which is partially blamed for the food price hikes across the world. Last week, the four parties held their first round of negotiations in Istanbul with an aim to ship Ukraine's grain to the world market to ease the supply. Read: Turkey again asks Sweden, Finland to extradite suspects Türkiye has long served as a mediator in the effort to establish a mechanism that will prevent a food crisis by enabling Ukraine to export its grain to the global market via sea routes. Istanbul will become an operational hub where the entire shipping process will be carried out, Turkish officials have said. Türkiye controls maritime traffic entering and exiting the Black Sea through the Bosphorus Strait. ■