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Published : 15 Mar 2026, 08:51 PM
Bangladesh has sought Russia’s support for its candidature for the presidency of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam raised the matter during a courtesy call by Russian Ambassador Alexander Grigoryevich Khozin at the foreign ministry on Sunday.
According to a ministry statement, the state minister "sought Russia’s support for Bangladesh’s candidature for the Presidency of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly for the term 2026–2027".
The election, scheduled for June 2, follows a regional rotation system that currently favours the Asia-Pacific Group.
While the previous interim government had nominated Touhid Hossain, the new administration has put forward Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman as its candidate.
Bangladesh had briefly paused its bid when Palestine emerged as a contender but reactivated it after Palestine withdrew.
Khalilur is now facing a challenge from Cyprus’s Andreas S Kakouris, a special envoy to the Cypriot foreign minister.
During the meeting in Dhaka, State Minister Shama Obaed highlighted the longstanding and friendly relations between Bangladesh and Russia.
She noted that the partnership continues to expand in areas such as energy, trade and investment, science and technology, education, skilled migration and people-to-people exchanges.
Ambassador Khozin reaffirmed Russia’s commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation and appreciated Bangladesh’s continued engagement with Russia, the foreign ministry said.
A separate statement from the Russian embassy said the discussions also covered cooperation within the UN and other international organisations, as well as prospects for investment collaboration.
Bangladesh last held the prestigious UNGA presidency 40 years ago, when Humayun Rasheed Choudhury served during the 41st session in 1986 after being nominated by the government of Hussain Muhammad Ershad.
Foreign Minister Khalilur is currently in New York, via Turkey, to lobby for the bid, which has already received endorsement from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
