WEB DESK
The Ambassador of Bangladesh to Russia Kamrul Hasan was summoned by the Russian Foreign Ministry to protest the decision of Dhaka to block entry of some Russian ships into Bangladeshi ports, reports Reuters. The Russian Foreign Ministry conveyed to the Bangladeshi side that ‘this step does not correspond to the traditionally friendly bilateral relations’ and it may ‘adversely affect the prospects for cooperation in various fields’.
Earlier, Foreign Ministry spokesperson of the Russian Federation had told the media that dozens of Russian vessels have been stopped from anchoring at Bangladeshi ports under the threat of US sanctions.
In recent months, Bangladesh has disallowed some Russian ships to anchor at its ports as they came under western sanctions against Russia as a fall out of the Ukraine war. Bangladesh cited the need to comply with the sanctions as the reason not to allow ships entry into Bangladesh ports.
In December last year, a Russian cargo ship carrying material and machinery for the Rooppur Nuclear power plant being built with the help of Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy organisation Rosatom was turned away from docking at a Bangladeshi port. The ship was under US sanctions.