Dhaka seeks duty-free, quota-free access for Bangladeshi products in Russia
Dhaka has sought duty-free, quota-free access for Bangladeshi products in the Russian market.
Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman made the request during an official bilateral meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Monday, said a press release received in Dhaka today.
The two leaders discussed the entire gamut of bilateral relations and their wider engagement and cooperation in the regional and international forums including the United Nations.
Delegates present at the meeting from the Bangladesh side were Humaiun Kobir and Nazrul Islam.
Khalilur Rahma is currently visiting Moscow at the invitation of his Russian counterpart. He further requested Russia to support Bangladesh for concluding an FTA between Bangladesh and Eurasia Economic Commission (EEC). Currently, EEC has five members namely Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.
Khalilur Rahman sought Russian support for Bangladesh to be an official member of BRICS and SCO to which Russian Foreign Minister replied positively.
Bangladesh Foreign Minister also requested for the safe repatriation of a number of Bangladeshis stranded in Russia. Foreign Minister Lavrov assured full consideration of his government of this matter.
Thanking the government of Russia for the fuel loading of the first unit of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, the Bangladesh Foreign Minister requested Russian Foreign Minister to extend full support in expediting the commissioning of the second unit as planned.
The two Foreign Ministers discussed about the recruitment of more manpower from Bangladesh for safe and secure jobs. They stressed the need for an early concluding of all pending MoUs and agreements between Bangladesh and Russia including two agreements namely the readmission agreement and the human resource agreement.
During the meeting, both Khalilur Rahman and Sergey Lavrov also recollected their friendship began four decades ago when they were representatives of their respective countries to the United Nations.
Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman recalled the historic contribution of the former USSR during Bangladesh’s Liberation War. The former USSR was one of the first countries to recognise Bangladesh.
Both the Foreign Ministers looked forward to the 55th anniversary of their diplomatic relation in 2027.
Reiterating their vows to widen and strengthen bilateral relations with Bangladesh, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warmly congratulated Bangladesh Foreign Minister for being elected as the President of the 81st Session of the UNGA. Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman thanked Russia for its support to his UNGA Presidency candidature.
Both the Foreign Ministers also discussed about the safe, secure, and dignified repatriation of forcibly displaced Rohingya people from Bangladesh to their homeland and Foreign Minister Lavrov indicated that the Russian government would be willing to help in finding a lasting resolution of the issue.
Thanking the Russian Foreign Minister for welcoming him in Moscow, the Bangladesh Foreign Minister invited his Russian counterpart to visit Bangladesh at a mutually convenient time.