Turkish first lady commends Bangladesh's interim leader

Turkish First Lady Emine Erdogan have commended Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus after he was sworn in as head of Bangladesh's caretaker government following weeks of turmoil in the country.

"I would like to extend my best wishes to the Honourable Prof. Muhammad Yunus, a member of the United Nations Advisory Board of Eminent Persons on Zero Waste, which I have the honour of chairing, as he embarks on his new role as the Head of the Interim Government of Bangladesh," the First Lady said in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Thursday.

Yunus became head of the interim government after a student uprising forced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign and flee to India.

Bangladesh’s figurehead President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath to Yunus on Thursday for his role as chief adviser, which is the equivalent to a prime minister, in presence of foreign diplomats, civil society members, top businessmen and members of the former opposition party at the presidential palace in Dhaka.

Emine Erdogan also expressed confidence in his ability to greatly contribute to democracy, peace, and stability in Bangladesh.

"I wish the friendly and brotherly people of Bangladesh prosperity and well-being."

Sixteen other people have been included in the interim Cabinet with members drawn mainly from civil society and including two of the student protest leaders.

The Cabinet members were chosen in discussions this week among student leaders, civil society representatives and the military.

Hasina quit on Monday after several chaotic weeks that began in July with protests against a quota system for government jobs that critics said favored people with connections to Hasina’s party.

But the demonstrations soon grew into a bigger challenge for Hasina’s 15-year rule, as more than 300 people including students were killed amid spiraling violence.