Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has arrived in Antalya, Türkiye, for the World Leaders' Summit of the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31), on a three-day visit that includes bilateral talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Rahman left Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 7:30am local time on Tuesday aboard a Turkish Airlines flight, accompanied by his wife, Dr Zubaida Rahman, and members of his entourage. After a stopover in Istanbul, where he was accorded a VVIP reception, his flight landed at Antalya Airport at 4:03pm local time.

Talks with Erdogan this evening

The prime minister is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with President Erdogan at 6:30pm local time on Tuesday in the meeting room of the Maxx Royal Hotel, according to his tour schedule and sources at Bangladesh's foreign ministry.

The meeting is expected to cover ways to strengthen relations between the two countries, alongside discussions on the sidelines of the climate conference.

What Bangladesh will push for

COP31 officially began in Antalya on Monday and runs through 20 November. The two-day World Leaders' Summit takes place on 11-12 November, and Rahman is scheduled to address a plenary session on 12 November.

He is expected to set out Bangladesh's position on climate justice, the historical responsibility of developed countries, climate finance, adaptation, loss and damage, and climate-resilient sustainable development. Bangladesh, one of the countries most exposed to climate change, is pressing for more climate grants, greater support for adaptation and faster access to loss and damage funding.

The visit is the first UN climate summit for the BNP government since it took office in February, when Rahman was sworn in as prime minister on 17 February.

More meetings on the sidelines

Alongside the Erdogan meeting, Rahman is scheduled to hold several bilateral meetings with world leaders on the sidelines of the summit. According to a briefing by newly appointed Foreign Secretary Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury, those meetings include the prime minister of Australia, the president of Uzbekistan, the vice president of China and the British foreign minister.

Bangladesh has also set up a prominent presence in the Blue Zone and Green Zone at the EXPO Antalya venue, showcasing its updated Nationally Determined Contributions, community-led adaptation work and biodegradable jute products as alternatives to single-use plastics.

Rahman is scheduled to leave Antalya for Dhaka on a Turkish Airlines flight at 4:15pm local time on 12 November, after the summit concludes.