Prime Minister Tarique Rahman arrived in Istanbul on Tuesday afternoon en route to Türkiye’s Antalya on a three-day visit to attend the World Leaders’ Summit of the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31), scheduled for November 11-12, and hold bilateral meetings with leaders of different countries.

A Turkish Airlines flight carrying the Prime Minister, his wife Dr Zubaida Rahman and other members of the entourage landed at Istanbul International Airport at 12:40pm local time, said PM’s Deputy Press Secretary Hasan Shiplu, reports UNB.

Following a brief stopover, the flight is scheduled to depart for Antalya at 2:45pm local time and land at Antalya Airport at 4:05pm, he said.

Earlier, the flight departed Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 7:30am Bangladesh time.

Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Prime Minister’s Political Adviser and BNP acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat, Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni, Dhaka North city BNP Member Secretary SM Jahangir Hossain, Cabinet Secretary Dr Nasimul Ghani and Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary ABM Abdus Sattar saw the Prime Minister and his wife off at the VIP lounge of the airport.

COP31, the UN climate change conference, officially began in Antalya on Monday and will run through November 20.

As part of the conference, the two-day World Leaders’ Summit will be held on November 11-12.

The Prime Minister is scheduled to address a plenary session on November 12 and hold several bilateral meetings with world leaders on the sidelines of the summit, newly appointed Foreign Secretary Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury said in a curtain-raiser briefing in Dhaka on Monday.

He will hold a bilateral meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan this evening.

The meeting will take place in the meeting room of Maxx Royal Hotel at 6:30pm local time, according to the Prime Minister's tour schedule and sources at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The foreign secretary said Tarique would outline Bangladesh’s position and expectations on climate justice, the historical responsibility of developed countries, climate finance, adaptation, addressing loss and damage, and climate-resilient sustainable development.

He said the Prime Minister’s engagements on the sidelines of the summit are expected to cover strengthening bilateral relations, expanding trade and investment, cooperation in addressing climate change and other matters of mutual interest.

Salahuddin Noman said Bangladesh contributed only 0.05 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, yet remained among the countries most vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change. “Against this backdrop, securing climate justice is one of Bangladesh’s foremost priorities,” he said.

Other priorities include adaptation finance, addressing loss and damage, and ensuring the effective implementation of developed countries’ climate finance commitments, he said.

At the summit, Bangladesh will highlight its achievements in climate resilience and share its experience in addressing climate impacts across South Asia and the wider Asian region.

Bangladesh has also taken an initiative to establish a jute pavilion in the conference’s Green Zone to showcase jute’s diverse uses, environment-friendly characteristics and potential as an alternative to plastic.

A joint declaration between Bangladesh and Türkiye on the use and promotion of jute and jute products is also envisaged during the conference, the foreign secretary said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will organise two side events in the Blue Zone on November 12 and 13.

One will focus on gender-based vulnerability in Bangladesh resulting from the adverse impacts of climate change, while the other will address the challenges of promoting environment-friendly, biodegradable and zero-waste jute products.

The Prime Minister is scheduled to leave Antalya for home on a Turkish Airlines flight at 4:15pm local time on November 12. The flight is scheduled to reach Dhaka at 5:50am on November 13.