Bangladesh-Russia ties won’t be affected

Russian Ambassador to Bangladesh, Alexander Mantytskiy, hopes that Bangladesh’s balanced foreign policy on Ukraine will continue and not affect Bangladesh-Russia relations.

He made the comment when asked if the bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Germany tomorrow would affect Bangladesh-Russia relations.

Zelensky sought Hasina’s appointment for the meeting on the sidelines of the three-day Munich Security Conference starting today, and she may call for ending the war and resolving the conflict through dialogue. Hasina reached Berlin yesterday afternoon (local time).

Mantytskiy, at an event organised by the Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) at the Jatiya Press Club yesterday, said Russia appreciates the balanced foreign policy of Bangladesh.

“When the US and some of its Western allies reiterated their stance on Bangladesh’s democracy ahead of the last national elections, Russia and China termed those as interference in Bangladesh’s internal affairs. India, too, was supportive of a stable, democratic, and progressive Bangladesh.”

Asked if Russia follows India’s track regarding its relations with Bangladesh, Mantytskiy said, “We pursue our policy, as written in our doctrine of foreign policy. We don’t look at Bangladesh through the eyes of India or any other country.”

The Russian envoy said Bangladesh has working relations with all the countries and will not sacrifice the relations of one country for the relations with another.

On Myanmar’s position on Rohingya repatriation, he said Russia favours the repatriation, but there should be suitable conditions in Myanmar.

Asked why Russia exports weapons to Myanmar’s military government that is oppressive of democracy-seekers, Mantytskiy said other countries also sell arms to Myanmar. However, Russia does not want to create problems as some other countries do in Myanmar.

“We are also ready to sell weapons to Bangladesh if it wants them,” he said.

The diplomat said the central banks of Russia and Bangladesh are discussing trading through a third foreign currency. Some payments to Russia for the work on the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project have been stuck because of challenges emanating from US sanctions against Russia.

Aleksandr Mantytsky said Russia has trade with China and India through their national currencies and that some sort of arrangement is possible for trade between Bangladesh and Russia.

He was also asked if Russia can sell gas and oil at preferential rates as it does with India, Mantytskiy said that will depend on the negotiation. Russia proposed selling oil to Bangladesh one and a half years ago, but there has yet to be a negotiation.

The envoy said the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project is not only about energy; it is significantly supporting the local economy, but sadly, “certain pro-Western quarters are hatching plans to smear the project,” he said.

Despite all odds, he said, Russia and Bangladesh will expand and diversify areas of mutual interest, trade, and investments.

Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh President Nurul Islam Hasib, and General Secretary Ashikur Rahman Apu also spoke at the event, among others.