Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has held a bilateral meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Antalya, Turkey, marking a significant diplomatic engagement on the sidelines of the COP31 climate summit.

The meeting began at 7:15 pm local time on Tuesday at the Maxx Royal Hotel in Antalya.

Prime Minister's Deputy Press Secretary Hasan Shiplu confirmed the meeting, saying that Tarique Rahman had sat down for bilateral discussions with the Turkish president.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir were also present at the meeting.

Earlier, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman arrived in Antalya at 4:10 pm on Tuesday to attend the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31).

According to Hasan Shiplu, the prime minister is scheduled to participate in the World Leaders Summit at the climate conference on Wednesday morning. He is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with several heads of state and government on the sidelines of the event.

COP31 began at 11:00 am local time on Sunday at the Antalya Expo Centre and will continue until November 20. World leaders, government representatives, ministers, diplomats and climate experts from various countries are attending the conference.

Last year, the 30th UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) was held in Belém, Brazil, on November 10.