Russia does not recognise 'illegal' sanctions by West: Ambassador

Russia does not recognise "illegal sanctions" by Western or any other countries and will respond after deliberations if any such measure is taken against Bangladesh, Ambassador Alexander Mantytskiy said on Thursday.

"We are against any illegal actions here [in Bangladesh]. We will be against any sanctions or steps here. Let's see what happens," he said at the "Talks with Ambassador" event held at the National Press Club in Dhaka.

"We only recognise sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council or UN organisations," said the Russian ambassador to Bangladesh.

Regarding what the Kremlin will do for Bangladesh if the US or its allies impose any sanctions, Mantytskiy said, "I hope nothing of this sort will happen. We don't know about any such sanction. If it happens, we will then decide what to do."

Asked how Moscow will help Dhaka if it falls into any financial crisis over the steps taken by the Western world, the Russian envoy said, "If a problem arises, then it will be discussed. What kind of assistance will be provided by the Russian Federation or any other institutions to assist your country will be decided then."

Asked whether the US is interfering in Bangladesh's internal affairs centring the forthcoming general election, he replied in the positive.

At the function, organised by the Swadhinata Sangbadik Forum, the Russian envoy said the concept of a "free and open Indo-Pacific region" promoted by the US has destructive rather than unifying potential.

"Its true goal is to divide the states of the region into 'interest groups' such as QUAD and AUKUS, and weaken the multilateral principles of the regional system of interstate relations in order to establish its own dominance," he said.

Regarding a question on the recent remark of the representative of the UN secretary general on Bangladesh's forthcoming national election, the Russian envoy said, "You once again see double standards here. Our foreign minister has said many times that he [UN representative] should be neutral because he works not only for the US or Western countries but for all countries in the world.

"But there is no neutrality in his statements. The same is applicable to statements from the officials of the UN. Many of them are from western countries. They got American passports when they began to work for the UN," he said.

"They do not preserve or defend your values; they defend the values preached to them by Western countries," he added.

The envoy also talked about bilateral and multilateral cooperation between Russia and Bangladesh, including the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, educational and skilled worker migration, technology transfer, the US-led Indo-Pacific strategy, the Palestine crisis, and economic cooperation.

Trade, investment coop yet to be fully tapped

Talking about economic cooperation, the envoy said Bangladesh is Russia's second-largest trade partner in South Asia after India.

He said the full potential of trade and investment cooperation has yet to be fully tapped.

Alexander Mantytskiy said Western countries imposed "illegal" unilateral sanctions against Russia in 2022. "The subsequent breach of production and logistics chains led to a setback in Russian trade with foreign partners, including Bangladesh, which resulted in the trade turnover decreasing by $640 million.

"Now the situation is changing: from 2022 on, many international brands have decided to leave Russia. So, Russian business circles are reorienting towards new suppliers, including those from Bangladesh. Investments, both state and private, can amount to billions of dollars."

He said Russian companies are ready to participate in various joint projects in Bangladesh, in sectors such as ICT, pharmaceuticals, space and geological research, maritime, railway, and air transport.

"All these topics are planned to be discussed at the 5th meeting of the Russia-Bangladesh Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, and Technical Cooperation, which we plan to hold in 2024 in a face-to-face format," he said.

Russian companies are ready to supply, on a G2G basis, up to 1 million tonnes of grain as well as 500,000 tonnes of potassium chloride per year, he said.

The ambassador said the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant will make a considerable contribution to Bangladesh's economic development and energy security.

Bangabandhu-2 satellite 

The ambassador said Russia's JSC "Glavkosmos" and Bangladesh Satellite Company Ltd in 2022 signed a memorandum of cooperation in the field of the promotion of products and services of the Russian space industry in Bangladesh, including the manufacturing and launch of the Bangabandhu-2 earth observation satellite system.

"The project's technical parameters have been finalised. The commercial offer for the same is on the table," he added.

Mantytskiy, however, said it was up to Bangladesh to decide on the issue.