BSS-53 Russia expresses solidarity with Bangladesh on Rohingya issues

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BSS-53

BANGLADESH-RUSSIA-TALK

Russia expresses solidarity with Bangladesh on Rohingya issues

DHAKA, April 29, 2019 (BSS) – Russia today expressed its solidarity with Bangladesh on Rohingya issues and reiterated to continue its supports including humanitarian assistance.

It was articulated during the bilateral talks between visiting Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr. AK Abdul Momen and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov held at Moscow today, a press release said here.

During the meeting, Momen sought active support of the Russian Federation in expediting the process of repatriation of these displaced people by encouraging Myanmar to create a conducive environment in the Rakhine state for return of the Rohingya.

Russian foreign minister welcomed the idea of involving ASEAN in the repatriation process.

This is the first official visit of the present Bangladesh Foreign Minister to Moscow and the third as a whole at the invitation of the Russian Foreign Minister.

The two foreign ministers took stock of the various aspects of bilateral ties as well as discussed important regional and multilateral issues of mutual interest.

Both the foreign ministers expressed deep satisfaction over the current progress of bilateral engagements between the two friendly countries.

Momen put emphasis on the initiatives of the two countries to boost the volume of bilateral trade at the expected level.

He urged the Russian investors and companies to enter into joint ventures or 100 percent owned business ventures in the 100 special economic zones, which are currently being set up in Bangladesh as well as in High-Tech Parks.

Lavrov informed that Economic forum in Saint Petersburg would be the ideal platform for Bangladesh to attract Russian and foreign investors.

Bangladesh foreign minister also sought support from Russia for duty-free quota-free access of Bangladesh’s products to the Russian market and also in the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union.

A memorandum of cooperation between the Government of Bangladesh and the Eurasian Economic Commission is expected to be inked soon, said the release.

Both the foreign ministers have expressed deep satisfaction on the pace of progress of the project for implementing the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant under the state export credit extended by the Government of the Russian Federation, which stands as a signature initiative in the bilateral relations.

They expressed their satisfaction for the successful operations and engagements of Gazprom in different gas fields of Bangladesh.

The two ministers consented on extending cooperation in the areas of education and culture. They also expressed satisfaction at the ongoing defence cooperation between the two countries.

They also exchanged opinions and experiences on cooperation in different international and regional fora between Bangladesh and Russia.

Later, Momen met with the senior officials of Gazprom International and discussed about geophysical survey and the exploration of natural resources from the Bay of Bengal with the joint cooperation of BAPEX Bangladesh.

GAZPROM expressed their interest to invest in LNG sectors in Bangladesh.

BSS/PR/TA/MMA/2205hrs