Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will visit Dhaka for two days before the G20 meeting in New Delhi, according to government officials. This visit is seen as an effort to strengthen bilateral ties between Moscow and Bangladesh.
Lavrov will meet with Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Abdul Momen on September 7 and will also call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina the next day. Afterward, he will travel to the G20 conference in New Delhi with a delegation, government officials stated.
A senior Bangladesh foreign ministry official, who requested anonymity, mentioned that during the visit, several bilateral issues will be discussed, including payments for the nuclear power plant, trade, and energy.
Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry, said during her weekly press briefing on Tuesday that the talks will also cover prospects for bilateral cooperation between the countries and “an exchange of views on the most pressing regional and international issues.”
Before arriving in Bangladesh, Lavrov will attend the 18th East Asia summit in Jakarta.
Bangladesh is currently collaborating with Russia’s state-owned atomic company Rosatom on a $12.65 billion project to construct the first of two nuclear power plants. The project is funded 90% through a Russian loan, repayable within 28 years with a 10-year grace period.
In April, Bangladesh and Russia agreed to use yuan for payments related to the nuclear plant due to western sanctions on Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.
However, officials mention that no payment has been made through yuan so far. A finance ministry official stated that a technical committee is working on it but did not provide further details.
Regarding payment in yuan, Bangladesh Bank spokesperson Mezbaul Haque confirmed that if the government provides instructions, they will proceed, noting that the yuan is an official currency and payments in that currency should not pose any issues.
Russia had previously requested Bangladesh to establish a direct payment channel between their central banks to facilitate fund transfers affected by sanctions against Moscow.
Written by Manoj Kumar in New Delhi; Edited by Chizu Nomiyama
Credit: The Star : News Feed
