Chief Adviser urges Russia to increase imports from BD

Chief Adviser (CA) Dr Muhammad Yunus on Tuesday called upon the Russian envoy to increase imports from Bangladesh, including products other than the readymade garments, said a spokesperson of the CA Office.

"We need to diversify our exports," he told Russian Ambassador to Bangladesh Aleksandr Mantytsky, who called on the CA at his office at the state guest house Jamuna.

Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Bangladesh and Pakistan's high commissioner also called on the CA separately on the day.

Russian Ambassador Mantytsky said Russia was a key economic partner of Bangladesh as it exported vital foodgrains and fertiliser to the country.

Last year, Russia exported more than 2.3 million tonnes of wheat to Bangladesh and in the current year the shipment crossed two million tonnes.

The envoy said Russia would continue to support Bangladesh in international fora.

During the meeting he discussed the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, which Bangladesh is building with technical and financial support from Russia, and increased cooperation in food security, energy exploration and science and technology.

Professor Yunus recalled Russia's role during Bangladesh's glorious War of Independence and its vital mine cleaning operations in the Chittagong Port.

He said the state-run Russian energy company Gazprom expressed interest to explore five more gas wells in the island of Bhola and more wells inland.

He said construction of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant was at the final stage and was expected to go into operation next year.

He said Russia was also interested in exporting LNG to Bangladesh.

The ambassador said that Gazprom was also interested in constructing a gas pipeline from Bhola to Khulna.

The CA has also stressed widening economic and educational cooperation and people to people ties between the two nations.

Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to Bangladesh Essa Yousef Essa Al Duhailan also met the Chief Adviser at the state guest house Jamuna on Tuesday.

The ambassador praised the leadership of Professor Muhammad Yunus saying that he was capable of leading the country to prosperity, said a spokesperson of the CA office.

The Chief Adviser called Saudi Arabia a "very important friend of Bangladesh" and recalled his visit to the country last year for World Football Summit where he addressed the Saudi Arabian women's football team and spoke about sport's incredible power to transform the world.

The Ambassador noted that some 3.2 million Bangladeshis were currently working in Saudi Arabia making the vital contribution to their country. The Bangladeshi migrant workers send annually $5 billion in remittance through the official channel and another $5 billion through the unofficial channel.

"They are hard working people and very religious," said the Ambassador.

The ambassador raised the issue of renewal of passports of 69,000 undocumented people who had been living in Saudi Arabia since the 1970s.

The ambassador called for increased economic relationship between the two countries and said that the Saudi Arabian business people were interested in investing more in Bangladesh, including areas like logistics, services sector and renewable energy. They include RSGT International and Acqwa Power.

He said that the country had introduced Makkah Road Initiative to ease immigration procedures for Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages.

Last year, half a million Bangladeshis performed Umrah, he informed the Chief Adviser.

In the meeting with the Pakistan high commissioner Syed Ahmed Maroof, Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus called for revival of the SAARC for enhanced regional cooperation in an effort to boost economic cooperation in the South Asian region.

The Pakistani envoy called on the CA at the state guest house Jamuna.

He said SAARC could be a model of relationships like the European Union, said the spokesperson of the CA office.

"We must work together for mutual benefits," Dr Yunus said.

During the meeting he underscored the necessity for reinvigorating the trade and economic relations and people to people contacts between the two countries.

He expressed willingness and emphasised the importance for strengthening bilateral relations as well as cooperation on multilateral platforms.

During the meeting, the Pakistan High Commissioner conveyed that Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the people of the country were deeply perturbed by the devastation caused by the ongoing floods in Bangladesh.

The Pakistan High Commissioner requested for easing visa procedures for Pakistani citizens to Bangladesh and direct flights between the two countries.

He highlighted the necessity for increased engagement in the existing bilateral mechanism between the two countries.

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