Lavrov regrets cancelation of Dhaka visit, In a phone call with his Bangladeshi counterpart Dr. AK Abdul Momen today, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed regret for being unable to visit Dhaka due to scheduling issues and expressed his willingness to make the trip soon, according to the foreign ministry. The two ministers reviewed the current bilateral ties and expressed a desire to elevate relations between Dhaka and Moscow, according to a statement from the foreign office.
Lavrov regrets cancelation of Dhaka visit
Lavrov was scheduled to arrive in Dhaka on November 23 in order to attend the 22nd Council of Ministers (COM) meeting of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) on November 24. During the conversation, Momen thanked Russia for helping Bangladesh build the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant and extended a personal invitation to Russian President Putin to visit Bangladesh on behalf of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
He sought Russian support in commencing the repatriation of forcibly displaced Rohingyas from Bangladesh to Myanmar. In reply, Lavrov assured Momen he would talk to Myanmar authorities on the issue. The two ministers also discussed the cooperation between Bangladesh and Russia in the United Nations and other international organizations.
Momen highlighted the role of the Soviet Union in the War of Liberation of Bangladesh and said that Dhaka will always remember it with gratitude. The Russian foreign minister greeted the Bangladesh prime minister on behalf of Russian President Vladimir Putin.On Sunday, Momen attributed the cancelation to his Russian counterpart’s preoccupation due to the Russia-Ukraine war situation. “I can understand it. They are very busy. Their activities due to the war have increased to a large extent,” Momen said adding “maybe for that reason he (Lavrov) is unable to come”.
When questioned about Bangladesh’s position on Moscow yesterday, Momen responded that Bangladesh had been maintaining a neutral and independent foreign policy with regard to the conflict in Russia and Ukraine. Officials from the foreign ministry had earlier predicted that the two foreign ministers’ discussions would be dominated by the topic of energy cooperation with Moscow.