Lavrov cancels Dhaka tour, Sergei Lavrov, the foreign minister of Russia, canceled his planned trip to Dhaka for next week, which his counterpart, Dr. AK Abdul Momen, explained was due to his preoccupation with the state of the conflict. According to representatives of the foreign ministry, Moscow informed Dhaka via its embassy here via a verbal note that Lavrov was unable to go to Bangladesh in time for the 22nd Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Council of Ministers (COM) meeting on November 24.
Lavrov cancels Dhaka tour
“I can understand it. They are very busy. Their activities due to the war have increased to a large extent,” Momen told newsmen on the sidelines of a function at a hotel in Dhaka, adding, “maybe for that reason he (Lavrov) is unable to come”. He added: “He (Lavrov) wants to speak with me over the phone (instead of visiting in person). And I agreed,” Bangladesh’s foreign minister said.
Momen said that Lavrov’s decision was communicated to his office on Friday via a “note verbal,” which is a term for diplomatic correspondence. Momen responded, “Bangladesh has been maintaining an independent and balanced foreign policy,” when asked about Dhaka’s position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Apart from attending the IORA, the Russian foreign minister was scheduled to call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and hold a bilateral meeting with Momen. The foreign ministry officials said the energy cooperation issue with Moscow was likely to largely the two foreign ministers’ talks.
The meeting is planned to have participation from ministerial-level delegations from 15 nations, with Alexander Mantytskiy, the Russian ambassador, representing Russia. Through its 23 member states and 10 conversation partners, IORA is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to fostering regional cooperation and sustainable development in the Indian Ocean region. Australia, Bangladesh, the Union of Comoros, France, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, the Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Yemen are IORA member states.