Diplomatic Correspondent | Published: 15:07, Mar 24,2022 | Updated: 16:19, Mar 24,2022
Russian ambassador Alexander Mantytskiy on Thursday said Bangladesh and Myanmar should resolve the Rohingya crisis through bilateral negotiations with no involvement of other countries and non-government organistaions.
He said this in reply to a question on the Russian position on repatriation of Rohingya people from Bangladesh to Myanmar. ‘We are not giving any advice.’
Raising questions about the involvement of non-government organisations in Rohingya services, Alexander Mantytskiy wondered, ‘what are they doing not only in Cox’s Bazar, but also in other parts of the country?’
The ambassador was speaking at a press conference on Ukraine issues.
At least 8,60,000 Rohingyas, mostly women, children and aged people, have entered Bangladesh fleeing unbridled murder, arson and rape during ‘security operations’ by the Myanmar military in Rakhine, what the United Nations has denounced as ethnic cleansing and genocide, beginning on August 25, 2017.
The latest Rohingya influx has taken the number of undocumented Myanmar nationals and registered refugees in Bangladesh to over 1.1 million, according to estimates by UN agencies and the Bangladesh foreign ministry.
Not a single Rohingya returned home to Rakhine state since the signing of instruments between Bangladesh and Myanmar in late 2018.
The Russian ambassador also said his country and Bangladesh were working out modalities to keep transactions and trade uninterrupted, avoiding SWIFT system following the Ukraine crisis.
He said that different options were being considered, including swap of national currencies and usage of third country’s banks but did not want to go into the details of this work.
The press conference titled ‘One month of the Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine: causes and results. The world of post-truth’ covered five key areas — the background of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Russia’s diplomatic efforts aimed at avoiding the conflict, the results of the Russia’s special military operation, role of the West in the militarisation and Nazification of Ukraine, economic consequences of the conflict and Russia-Bangladesh relations in a new reality.
Responding to a question on Bangladesh’s voting at the UNGA on March 2, the Russian envoy said they highly appreciate Bangladesh’s ‘responsible and balanced’ attitude towards the resolution.
‘We express our gratitude to the Bangladeshi side for its neutral position taken despite the enormous external pressure during the said voting,’ he said.
The ambassador said Bangladesh foreign minister AK Abdul Momen very specifically defined the motives behind Bangladesh’s abstention. ‘So, I have nothing more to add.’
Responding to a question Mantytskiy said construction of the Rooppur NPP was on schedule and the project would be implemented in accordance with previously approved plans. ‘All operations are being carried out on schedule.’
In 2021, he said, the dome of the inner containment was assembled at Unit 1, the reactor vessel and reactor plant equipment were installed, in February of this year while welding of the reactor coolant pipeline was completed.
Deaerator has been installed in the machine room and installation of the polar crane was completed at Unit 2 in November 2021, said the ambassador, adding that the reactor vessel and steam generators were scheduled to be mounted by the end of the year.
Construction of a training centre for the operational personnel of the Rooppur NPP is at its final stage, he said.
Active work is currently underway on the installation of the key thermal and mechanical, electrical equipment and process pipelines, said the Russian envoy.
With respect to a question concerning possible disruption of Russia’s export of commodities such as natural gas and wheat, the ambassador said the Russian Federation as a responsible
party of different trade accords, including deals with Bangladesh, is committed to fully exercising its obligations under the agreements.
He said recently India announced its plan to buy more Russian oil despite threats, adopting pragmatic approach to ensure energy security.
Due to ‘politically motivated’ action many Western companies have chosen to quit the Russian market and left huge niche that can be filled by Bangladeshi companies and goods, said Mantytskiy.
‘For example, ready-made garment and medical and pharmaceutical products. Some of your agricultural crops are also welcome in Russia,’ he said.
As far as increasing energy prices and as a consequence of its price hike for commodities are concerned, the ambassador said they admit that this is inevitable process caused by those who impose ‘illegal sanctions’ against Russia, who disrupted logistics chain and caused great buzz on markets all over the world.
He said the latest sanctions imposed on Russia and Belarus sent global prices for fertiliser soaring to an all-time high.
Energy prices have been soaring amid EU plans to cut reliance on Russian oil and gas supplies and bans imposed by the US and a couple of other countries, said the Russian envoy.
Regarding recent missile attack on a Bangladeshi ship MV Banglar Samriddhi and subsequent killing of its third engineer Hadisur Rahman, the ambassador said they have not received any information about this accident as of now.
One of the reasons is that the Ukrainian nationalist battalions are still controlling the city of Nikolayev which hampers the establishment of circumstances of this tragedy, he said.
Moreover, there are reliable reports that inner anchorages of the Ukrainian sea ports, including Olvia, are heavily mined, said the ambassador.
The Russian envoy said this week United States president Joe Biden said the Russian president may be considering using biological or chemical weapons in Ukraine which is a’ blatant lie’ and attempt to manipulate public opinion.
‘Our country has destroyed all chemical weapons stockpiles, while the United States remains the only country party to the Chemical Weapons Convention of 13 January 1997, which still possesses and patents various inventions, associated with the use of full-fledged combat poisoning agents, including a nerve-paralytic effect,’ he said.
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