Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Bangladesh Alexander Mantytskiy on Wednesday met Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain and both reflected on key areas of bilateral cooperation between the two countries. They mentioned areas of cooperation, including energy, food security, trade as well as multilateral issues of mutual importance.  Dr Yunus praises Russian cooperation in power, energy sectors During the meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Adviser congratulated the Ambassador for the successful completion of his tenure and expressed appreciation for his role in strengthening the bilateral ties between Bangladesh and the Russian Federation.  The Ambassador thanked the government of Bangladesh for the support and cooperation extended during his tenure and expressed hope for strengthened ties between the two countries in future. The Adviser wished him success in his future endeavors.  

Russian Ambassador in Dhaka Alexander Mantytskiy instead of the country’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will represent his country at the IORA meeting scheduled for November 24. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is likely to have a telephone conversation with his Bangladesh counterpart Dr AK Abdul Momen tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.  Read more: Momen meets Lavrov, pitches for stronger international support for resolving Rohingya crisis State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam confirmed this to UNB on Sunday as there is a revised decision regarding his planned Dhaka visit.  The Bangladesh side was taking preparation for a bilateral meeting between Foreign Minister Momen and his Russian counterpart apart from a meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. But the Russian side conveyed its revised decision to Bangladesh. Read more: Moscow to strengthen cooperation with Dhaka: Lavrov The reason behind the revised decision could not be known. The Russian Foreign Minister was scheduled to visit Bangladesh on November 23 mainly to attend the 22nd IORA Council of Ministers (COM) meeting to be held in Dhaka on November 24. Read more: Russia denies FM Lavrov was hospitalised, calling it “highest level of fakes” Russia is a dialogue partner of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) while Bangladesh is the current chair of IORA. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will brief the media on the upcoming IORA meeting on Monday.

Russian Ambassador to Bangladesh Alexander Vikentyevich Mantytskiy has hoped that the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war would end soon, Information Minister Hasan Mahmud said Wednesday. The minister said this to reporters after a meeting with the Russian envoy at the secretariat in Dhaka. "I informed him about our position on the war saying: 'war does not bring any good to anyone; sanctions and counter-sanctions also don't bring any good.' I told him that it would be good for all if the war ends soon," Vikentyevich Mantytskiy hoped that the war would end soon, Hasan, also Awami League joint general secretary, said. Read more: From 'strong to stronger': Russian House director for elevated Dhaka-Moscow ties A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between state-owned news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) and ITAR-TASS to exchange news in 2017. The envoy proposed turning the MoU into an agreement, Hasan said. He also proposed the exchange of news between the Russian news agency Sputnik and BSS. The information minister said the Russian envoy proposed airing Russian series on Bangladeshi TV channels, he added. "I suggested he give proposals to the country's private TV channels." Read more: Documentary film on Dhaka-Moscow ties premieres      

Russian Ambassador to Bangladesh Alexander V. Mantytskiy has slammed a section of Bangladesh media for what he said “biased approach” in their coverage of the situation in Ukraine and Russia’s actions there. He described it as "deliberate efforts" to undermine Dhaka-Moscow relations. “I consider the biased approach of certain Bangladeshi media towards the situation in Ukraine and Russia’s actions there as a result of deliberate efforts by those forces that have always sought to undermine mutually beneficial cooperation between the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, which started 50 years ago,” he said in an open letter to editors of print and electronic media, the heads of radio and TV broadcasters in Bangladesh on Sunday. Read:China won’t build military base in any foreign land including Bangladesh: Ambassador The ambassador referred to the 1971 when Bangladeshis overthrow, with the active support from India and the USSR, the dominance of non-Bengali masters, to stop harassment, discrimination and violence against Bengali people, so that they could finally enjoy the right to speak their native language. He said the Russian-speaking people of Donbas in East Ukraine have been struggling to obtain the same right for eight years, while suffering from genocide unleashed by the Kiev regime. The time is ripe for Russia to come to the rescue once again, for the same cause, to ensure the right to speak the mother tongue and to end language-based discrimination, said the Russian envoy. “I hope that through my open letter your readers will be able to get acquainted with an alternative point of view towards the developments around Ukraine,” said the ambassador. Against the backdrop of “anti-Russia campaign and blatant Russo-phobic hysteria” from western mainstream media, the ambassador said certain Bangladeshi newspapers and broadcasters “widely echoed and spread” those. He said his letter to editors is an effort to explain to the Bangladeshi readers once again the goals and tasks behind the “special military operation” of the Russia in Ukraine. Read:Dhaka, Riyadh eye stronger political, investment ties; Saudi FM due Tuesday According to the Ambassador, the goals are: 1. To protect Russian-speaking civilians in Ukraine subjected to genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years; 2. To eliminate Neo-fascism; 3. To prevent the development of nuclear weapons in Ukraine; 4. To stop the deployment of NATO military bases in Ukraine. While tasks are: 1. To demilitarize and denazify Ukraine (to free it from Nazi ideology); 2. To put an end to Neo-fascism that has raised its head in Ukraine after being defeated in the Great Patriotic War. 3. To eliminate military threats on the border of the Russian Federation; 4. To disarm aggressive entities of Ukraine, posing threat to peaceful coexistence. 5. To identify and punish persons who have committed crimes against the civilian population of Ukraine and citizens of the Russian Federation by legal procedures in the courts of the Russian Federation. “We do not plan to occupy Ukrainian territory. We are not at war with Ukrainian people. We do not intend to impose anything on anyone by force. We have explained many times that the situation in Ukraine has evolved in such a way that it has come to pose a direct threat to Russia’s security,” Ambassador Mantytskiy said.

Russia’s ambassador to Britain has rejected allegations against his country’s intelligence services for hacking information about a coronavirus vaccine.