Russia wants joint business council to boost trade with Bangladesh

The Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry has expressed interest in forming a joint Russia-Bangladesh business council to strengthen trade, investment and economic cooperation between the two countries.

The Russian side also wants to organise a Russia-Bangladesh business forum in Moscow to facilitate direct business-to-business contacts between entrepreneurs from the two countries.

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Alexander Grigoryevich Khozin, Russian ambassador to Bangladesh, conveyed the proposals during a meeting with Md Fazlul Hoque, administrator of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry, at the federation’s Gulshan office yesterday.

A formal announcement on the proposed business council may come at the meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission, scheduled to be held in Dhaka in early November, Alexander said.

The ambassador said the proposed forum in Moscow would bring Bangladeshi and Russian businesses together for direct B2B meetings and other sessions based on the profiles of participating Bangladeshi entrepreneurs.

At the meeting, Fazlul urged both sides to look beyond the readymade garment sector and explore new areas of trade.

He particularly highlighted pharmaceuticals, leather and leather goods, jute and jute products, ceramics and the export of manpower to Russia.

Alexander said Russia’s health ministry was already reviewing procedural and legal issues related to importing generic medicines from Bangladesh.

He also said there was good demand in Russia for heavy footwear and leather goods suitable for its harsh winter.

Russia has issued visas to around 3,000 Bangladeshi workers in recent months as employment opportunities have emerged in agriculture, fisheries, shipbuilding and the services sector, he informed.

The two sides also discussed the progress of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project.

Around 4,000 Russian specialists and engineers are working to resolve technical issues related to the project, Alexander said.

He said work was progressing with the aim of supplying the first 300 megawatts of electricity to the national grid by next month.

Both sides expressed hope that greater cooperation between the government and private sectors would help strengthen commercial ties between Bangladesh and Russia.

SRI LANKA INVITES BANGLADESHI DELEGATION TO ATTEND FAIR

Meanwhile, Dharmapala Weerakkody, Sri Lankan high commissioner to Bangladesh, held a separate meeting with the FBCCI administrator yesterday.

He said the international trade fair Sri Lanka Expo 2027 would be held in Colombo from January 14 to 17 next year.

The Sri Lankan envoy invited a Bangladeshi business delegation, led by the FBCCI, to participate in the fair.

Hoque responded positively to the proposal to send a delegation to the expo.

Md Alamgir, secretary general of FBCCI, along with officials from the Russian Embassy and the Sri Lankan High Commission, attended the respective meetings.