Biz BD News

The Head of Bangladesh Delegation and Deputy Speaker of Bangladesh National Parliament Md. Fazle Rabbi Miah and the Chief Whip A S M Feroze held a vital meeting with the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Russian Upper House Senator Konstantin Kosachev and Deputy Chairman of Foreign Affairs Committee of State Duma Andrei Klimov at the sideline of 137th assembly of IPU in St. Petersburg on 15 October.
At the outset of the meeting, Rabbi recalled with deep gratitude the tremendous support extended by the people and Government of Russia then USSR during the War of Liberation in 1971. He expressed with deep sense of appreciation the supreme sacrifice made by some of the Russian servicemen while clearing mines in the port of Chittagong, as part of the post-war reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in Bangladesh. Terming the Russian Federation as a long-term reliable partner, the Deputy Speaker urged Russian side to stand beside Bangladesh for overcoming the acute crisis of influx of Muslim people from Rakhine State. He briefly portrayed the plights of Rohingya people and the kindness of the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for providing the shelter.
Kosachev, in reply, appreciated Bangladesh leadership for supporting the distressed people. He congratulated Bangladesh delegation for becoming successful in the pursuit of passing the agenda of ‘Ending the grave human crisis, persecution and violent attacks on Rohingya’ as the sole emergency item of the 137th Assembly of IPU. In the meeting, Bangladesh delegation cleared two misconceptions of the Russian side on the root cause of the crisis. Kosachev acknowledged his understanding and ensured that this issue will get higher importance in the Russian foreign affairs agenda in the coming days. The delegation was accompanied by the Bangladesh Ambassador to the Russian Federation Dr. Saiful Hoque and Counsellor (Political) of the Embassy Dr. Shah Mohammad Tanvir Monsur.