Three weeks after talks with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Washington, Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen is set for a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Apr 30.
The minister is flying to Moscow on Apr 29 at the invitation of Lavrov to discuss bilateral issues, including Rooppur Nuclear power plant, Rohingya crisis, energy cooperation, and trade, according to officials at the foreign ministry.
The last time, foreign ministers of the two countries had the talks was in 2018, when the-then foreign minister AH Mahmood Ali went to the Russian capital on a bilateral visit.
Rooppur Nuclear plant
With assistance from Russia, Bangladesh is building its first-ever nuclear power plant in Pabna’s Rooppur, which will cost over $12 billion, 90 percent of which is being funded by Moscow.
“We are on the right track in implementing the largest infrastructure project in the country,” said an official.
Bangladesh expects the first unit of 1,200-megawatt plant to become operational in 2023, according to the foreign ministry official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “So far, we are four months behind the schedule and we will request the Russian side to expedite the construction process.”
Rohingya crisis
Russia is a permanent member of the UN Security Council and has robust defence cooperation with Myanmar.
“We will seek their help in resolving the crisis so that the Rohingyas can go back to their homeland in Rakhine,” said another official.
Every country has its own national interest but Dhaka will try to convince Moscow to support its proposal of creating a safe zone in Rakhine for the Rohingyas, he added.
The idea has been discussed with ASEAN countries and Bangladesh has already put forward a proposal in this regard, Foreign Minister Momen told the media in Dhaka earlier this month.
Energy
Russia’s Gazprom, which operates several gas fields, now supplies over seven percent of the total gas in Bangladesh. It’s now negotiating to explore seven more gas fields.
“We are happy with the arrangement and we seek more Russian investment in the energy sector,” said another official.
State-owned company Bapex is a partner of Gazprom and they will also share the total investment, he added.
Trade
Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Armenia have formed Eurasia and Bangladesh wants to get trade preference from the bloc.
“We have already finalized a deal and it will be signed soon with the bloc,” said another official.
If we want to get duty-free market access to any of those countries, we need to negotiate with Eurasian and when we sign the deal we will start negotiation, he added.