Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday invited Turkish entrepreneurs to invest in Bangladesh's potential sectors like energy and shipbuilding.

"There is a tremendous scope for establishing joint-ventures in energy, shipbuilding, heavy-machinery, construction, electronic appliances, textile and readymade garment, jute and petrochemical products in Bangladesh," she said.

The prime minister made the remarks when visiting Turkish Minister for Labour and Social Security Faruk Celik paid a courtesy call on her at Gono Bhaban.

Hasina said the two countries are working on increasing bilateral trade volume to US $ 3 billion by 2015 from its present volume of about $1 billion. In this connection, she stressed the need for signing free trade agreement between the two countries.

She mentioned Bangladesh's strategic

geographical location of providing access to a market of over two billion people in South Asia, Southeast Asia and Far East.

"Dhaka and Ankara enjoy warm relations based on shared religion and tradition," she said hoping that the relations would continue to grow in the years ahead.

Recalling her visit to Turkey in April this year, Hasina said the visit ushered in a new era of Bangladesh-Turkey relations.

Wishing the success of the 4th Joint Economic Commission (JEC) meeting between Bangladesh and Turkey, she hoped it would pave the way for further consolidating the bilateral trade and investment between the two brotherly nations.

In response, the Turkish minister said the visit of Hasina has strengthened the economic relations between the two countries.

Faruk Celik expressed his country's interest to invest in Bangladesh in some potential sectors.