Ice yet to thaw

Diplomatic tension between Dhaka and Ankara over the executions of war crimes convicts continues with neither side doing anything visible to improve the situation. 

Even though foreign ministry officials in Dhaka said relations between Bangladesh and Turkey were normal, diplomatic sources said the ties were not that good and that each was waiting for the other to make a move.

The Turkish ambassador to Bangladesh, Devrim Ozturk, who left for Ankara on May 12 being asked to report home in the aftermath of the execution of Jamaat chief Motiur Rahman Nizami, is yet to return to Dhaka, sources told The Daily Star last week.

Before leaving Dhaka, he had told the foreign ministry that he would be back in a few days. But diplomatic sources in Dhaka and in Ankara cannot say when he would return.

On the other hand, Bangladesh ambassador in Ankara Allama Siddiki, who came to Dhaka on June 2 in a move seen as a retaliation, is still here, according to the sources. 

Since the departure of the Turkish envoy, deputy chief of mission Ahmed Gurbuz has been discharging the responsibilities of the ambassador.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan angrily reacted and had taken no time to condemn Nizami's execution on May 11. He even believes Nizami, who was convicted of crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War, had done “no earthly sins”.

“I think Turkey's stance is unacceptable. Interference in other countries' internal affairs is illegal under international law and in particular the United Nations Charter,” said the ambassador of a Muslim-majority country stationed in Dhaka.

Dhaka called back Allama Siddiki for consultations last month.

“The consultation with him is over and he might go back to Ankara soon,” said a foreign ministry source.

On the ties between the two countries, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam recently told The Daily Star that the government would definitely reach out to the Turkish authorities.

“We will also try and find out what political gains they would have by opposing the trials of war criminals,” he said, adding that Turkey was a big facilitator in various multilateral forums and hoped that it would stop reacting in the way it had been             reacting.

Diplomatic sources said even though Dhaka had not yet taken any visible move to repair the ties with Ankara, it was in touch with countries that have strong relations with Turkey.

Tension with Turkey flared following former Turkish president Abdullah Gul's letter to President Zillur Rahman in December 2012 calling for "clemency" for the war crimes accused for the "sake of peace in the society". 

Gul demanded that the accused belonging to Jamaat-e-Islami be pardoned as they were too old to stand trial.

The letter irked Dhaka, which said it was “not acceptable at all” and the government viewed it as “a clear interference in the internal affairs of Bangladesh”. 

Moreover, Bangladesh asked the international community not to make any requests in favour of those facing trial for war crimes.

The visit of a 14-member delegation of Turkish NGO Cansuyu Aid and Solidarity Association on December 20-24, 2012, actually created the initial problem. The delegation member came “hiding their identities and misusing the on arrival visa facilities,” making Dhaka unhappy, said a source.

The incident prompted the Bangladesh foreign ministry to summon the then Turkish envoy Mehmet Vakur Erkul and the government asked him to explain the team's visit.