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Russian Ambassador to Dhaka Alexander Khozin has met Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir to discuss various issues of bilateral interest, including trade and investment.
The meeting that lasted for an hour was held at the BNP Chairperson's office in the capital's Gulshan on Sunday. The meeting also discussed the development of elections in the country.
BNP Standing Committee member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury and Organizing Secretary Shama Obaid were present at the time.
After the meeting, Chowdhury said, "We discussed what we can do to take the relationship between the two countries forward. We have enough interest in investing in Bangladesh in some areas... they (Russia) have enough interest in trade.”
"Regarding the elections in Bangladesh, they wanted to know how soon the elections are going to be held," the senior BNP leader mentioned.
Our relations with Russia have existed for a long time. As Russia is an energy-rich country, we discussed what kind of cooperation there can be between the two countries in the sector, he said.
UNB adds: Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said foreign countries feel comfortable working with an elected government, as it is easier to make decisions with such a government on various mid-term, long-term and crucial issues.
The BNP leader said the issue of the Bangladesh interim government's decision to allow Myanmar's Rakhine State a humanitarian corridor also came up for discussion during the meeting.
"We discussed it, as everyone has concerns over the matter. All want to see stability in the region. No one wants to see geopolitical instability, because if this region is unstable, it will not benefit anyone. Not only will Bangladesh suffer from insecurity, but the entire region will also be insecure, and no one will benefit from it," Khosru said.
The BNP leader said they mentioned some obstacles to improving business between Bangladesh and Russia, such as facilitating market access, simplifying trade facilities, and resolving problems with bank transactions. "We have talked about these issues. They said they would look into these matters."
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