"We know the Russian Federation has a lot of influence on Myanmar," said Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Monday, seeking Moscow’s support for Rohingya repatriation.
The Foreign Minister was addressing the 5th Asian Conference of Soviet/Russian Graduates at a city hotel. Russian Ambassador to Bangladesh Alexander I Ignatov, among others, spoke at the programme.
Though Myanmar agreed to take back its people, not a single Rohingya has so far been repatriated. The Rohingyas, subjected to decades of state-sponsored discrimination, lack faith in Myanmar leadership and are sceptic about a conducive environment for repatriation.
Dr Momen urged Russia and its friends to scale up efforts so that persecuted Rohingyas can return to their homes in Rakhine State.
Bangladesh is now hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas who were forced to leave their homes in Rakhine State amid military crackdown and tortures.
Terming Bangladesh a vibrant economy, the Foreign Minister urged the friends of Bangladesh and Russia to pursue more investment from Russia into Bangladesh.
“Investment in Bangladesh is a win-win situation,” he said adding that foreign direct investment in Bangladesh continues to grow in the country.
Dr Momen said he believes that the Soviet Alumni Association of Bangladesh and its members have a massive role to play.
Deepening Ties with Russia
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is firmly poised to make Bangladesh the ‘Sonar Bangla’ or the Golden Bengal of Bangabandhu’s dream and to do so she has added new dimensions to achieve --- like science and technology, education etc. --- to her father’s vision, said the Foreign Minister.
To attain these goals, Dr Momen said, Bangladesh needs to deepen and broaden the relationship with Russia, both at political and economic fronts, with key partners in light of the principle outlined by the Father of the Nation that ‘friendship to all, malice towards none.’
“As a long standing friend and trusted partner, we need the Russian Federation to ensure energy security and economic development in Bangladesh,” he said.
Dr Momen said Soviet alumni here in Bangladesh can play a constructive role in translating and realising the friendship with Russia into tangible ventures.
“As soon as we’ve ensured multifarious engagements in diverse sectors, Bangladesh-Russia relation will reach fruition and maturity to benefit the people of both our nations,” he added.
Dr Momen said Bangladesh had a long history of friendship with the former Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics. "All of us are aware of the support and contribution the Soviet Union extended during our War of Liberation and thereafter."
The then Soviet government raised its voice in the international arena against the atrocities committed on the people of Bangladesh and took active part in the reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts immediately after the country was born.
The USSR also provided its support to Bangladesh in acquiring international recognition and facilitating its admission to the United Nations.
For their unconditional support, the Soviet Union, its leadership, its government and its people earned a special place in the hearts of Bangladeshi people, said the Foreign Minister.
Recognising the partnership and friendship with the USSR, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman paid a historic visit to Moscow on March 1, 1972 which laid foundations of Bangladesh-Russia bilateral relations.
Dr Momen said the potential of this bilateral cooperation and mutual understanding was lost in the political turmoil that broke out in Bangladesh after the killing of Bangabandhu in 1975.
He said the USSR also broke down in 1991 and led to emergence of 15 individual states. "Bangladesh immediately recognised the Russian Federation as the successor state."
However, Dr Momen said, the vision set by the Father of the Nation has eventually been cemented by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina when she returned to power in 2009.
He said her government decided to engage with Russia in a vigorous manner, as they realised, there are a number of sectors where both the countries can engage in a beneficial manner.
In line with that policy, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid an official visit to Russia at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin in January 2013, and a number of agreements, MoUs, protocols were signed to expand the sphere of bilateral relations.
“Ever since that moment, our two countries have been closely working to establish mutually beneficial comprehensive economic partnership in various sectors. Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) now stands as a signature initiative in that respect,” said the Foreign Minister.
The Foreign Minister said he is certain that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government will receive full support from the members of the Soviet Alumni Association in its endeavour to maintain the increasing cooperation between Bangladesh and Russia.
He congratulated the Soviet Alumni Association for their already done endless work in cementing the relations between the two countries on a strong footage.
"Let’s continue to pursue the rights to a secure, better and dignified life for the people of the two countries as well as the entire humanity," he said.