Russia sees big role for Bangladesh

Russia wants to see South Asian countries including Bangladesh emerge as a powerful bloc in the new “polycentric” world order that it believes is taking shape.

“It has become clear today that the unilateral world order is in the past,” Moscow’s Ambassador in Dhaka Alexander Nikolaev told diplomatic correspondents on Tuesday.

He made the remark against the backdrop of the Russia’s action in Crimea which the West calls “annexation” and President Vladirmir Putin describes as “reunification”.

Russia is looking forward to consolidating its position in Asia with the European Union, its main trading partner, threatening to isolate Moscow on the Crimean issue.

President Putin, who has been emphasising a shift towards Asia for some time, is scheduled to visit China this month, in what is being seen as a landmark visit when Beijing and Moscow are likely to sign a gas deal, one of the largest outside Europe.

The envoy said the world order was “not becoming easier”, but the process of the formation of a new polycentric system was currently on.

Opposite forces were out to stall this process, he cautioned. “There is a serious confrontation on the part of those who would not like to change anything in today’s world and would like to return to a unipolar world order.”

“All of this is causing global turbulence,” he added.

Russia, on the other hand, he said, aspired “to promote a uniting, positive agenda” that sought the resolution of regional and global issues “exclusively through collective work and actions on the basis of respect for international law”.

He accused the US of what he called “propagandistic power” of distorting the Ukraine scenario and to belittle Russia and “kill those who protest against illegal actions” by Kiev.

He said Ukrain was in a deep crisis and Russia would firmly contribute to the de-escalation of the conflict on the basis of the compromise approach which was agreed in Geneva on Apr 17.

Nikolaev, who was a Consul General in Kiev in 2003, said the US had “the stunning ability to turn everything upside down, to call black white”.

This year marked the 42nd anniversary of Russia’s establishment of diplomatic ties with Bangladesh.

Russia-Bangladesh relations began in 1971 when the then Soviet Union supported Bangladesh’s freedom struggle against Pakistan.

Bangladesh was born after a nine-month war and the erstwhile Soviet Union had extended its support to the newborn country at the UN in 1971.

It also helped Bangladesh restore and develop its war-ravaged economy.

The ambassador appreciated Dhaka’s “constructive” foreign policy for the sake of “deep integration and connectivity” in South Asia.

He said Bangladesh’s foreign policy was also aimed at “solving all the disagreements in the sub-continent in the spirit of good neighbourliness and solidarity”.

“We appreciate the constructive approach of Bangladesh aimed at deepening the integration process in South Asia and the solution of differences in the spirit of good neighbourliness and solidarity,” he said.

He said the collaboration between Russia and Bangladesh had always been “comprehensive” and had been developing “in a wide range of spheres from politics to culture”.

“Over the years Russia and Bangladesh have been holding close or similar positions on the numerous pressing challenges of the current international affairs,” he said.

He said both sides share the “same approach” towards principles of “global polycentric architecture” and “fair international” economic system.

Russia always supported Bangladesh in international cooperation, he said. “We appreciate the support of Dhaka to Russia on a whole range of acute issues on the agenda, including the development of Ukraine”.

Dhaka abstained from voting on a resolution at the UN that the US brought against Russia over Crimea.

Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) organised the meet the press with its President Mainul Alam in Chair.