Bangladesh Ambassador to Russia Kamrul Ahsan was summoned to the Russian foreign ministry following Bangladesh’s decision to ban Russian ships from calling at Bangladeshi ports, reports Russia's state-owned news agency TASS on Tuesday.
"We drew attention of the head of the diplomatic mission to the reports about the decision of his country’s authorities to ban Russian ships carrying cargoes for Bangladesh from calling at Bangladeshi ports," the agency reported quoting the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"This step runs counter to the traditionally friendly charater of bilateral relations and can have a negative effect on the prospects for our cooperation in various spheres," the report reads.
Dhaka has not made any comment yet regarding the report.
Last week, Russia’s embassy in Dhaka confirmed to TASS that 69 Russian ships (sanctioned) had been barred from calling at the country’s ports.
However, according to the embassy, this step did not mean that Bangladesh had banned imports of Russian goods.
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said later that Bangladesh had made this decision under the threat of US secondary sanctions, according to TASS report.