Russia greets Bangladesh on 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Russian foreign ministry today greeted Bangladesh as Dhaka and Moscow is set to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations on January 25.

“Congratulations to our Bangladeshi friends on this milestone anniversary of our relations,” said Russian’s foreign ministry’ spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, according to a press release issued by the Russian embassy here today.

“Our countries have long been bound by friendly ties, the foundation of which was laid back in 1972, when the (then) USSR supported the national liberation struggle of the people of Bangladesh and was among the first countries to recognize the independence of the new state,” she said.

Zakharova said Bangladeshis remember the feat of Soviet military sailors, who cleared the waters of the port of Chittagong from mines and sunken ships in 1972-1974.

“Today, our countries maintain an active political dialogue, which is built on the principles of equality and mutual respect,” she said.

Currently, the spokeswoman she said Bangladesh is Russia’s major trading partner in South Asia, with bilateral trade exceeding $2.5 billion a year.

“The mechanism of the Intergovernmental Russian-Bangladesh Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation, established in 2017, functions well,” she observed.

Major economic projects are underway, including the construction of Rooppur, Bangladesh’s first nuclear power plant, she added. (BSS)