Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman held an official bilateral meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Monday.

The two leaders discussed the full range of bilateral relations and broader cooperation in regional and international forums, including the United Nations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release.

Both leaders recalled that their friendship began four decades ago when they were representatives of their respective countries at the United Nations.

Delegates present at the meeting from the Bangladesh side were Humaiun Kobir and Nazrul Islam.

Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman is currently visiting Moscow at the invitation of his Russian counterpart.

He recalled the historic contribution of the former USSR during Bangladesh’s Liberation War. The former USSR was one of the first countries to recognise Bangladesh. Both foreign ministers looked forward to the 55th anniversary of their diplomatic relations in 2027.

At the meeting, Lavrov reiterated his commitment to widening and strengthening bilateral relations with Bangladesh.

He also congratulated Bangladesh’s foreign minister for being elected as the president of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA). Khalilur thanked Russia for its support of his UNGA Presidency candidature.

The two ministers reviewed cooperation in sectors, including industry, power and energy, agriculture, research and technology, culture, education, tourism, transport, and defence, and agreed to further deepen engagement in these areas.

Khalilur discussed increasing bilateral trade and requested duty-free quota-free (DFQF) market access for Bangladeshi products and urged steps to fast-track the registration process for Bangladeshi exports.

He requested Russia to invest in Bangladesh’s special economic zones and hi-tech parks, particularly in emerging sectors such as light-to-heavy engineering, food and agro-processing, petrochemicals, steel manufacturing, and information technology.

The foreign minister further requested Russia to support Bangladesh for concluding a free trade agreement (FTA) between Bangladesh and the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC).  Currently, EEC has five members namely Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.

He sought Russian support for Bangladesh to become a member of BRICS and the SCO to which Lavrov responded positively.

Thanking the government of Russia for the fuel loading of the first unit of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, Khalilur requested the Russian foreign minister to extend full support in expediting the commissioning of the second unit as planned.

During the meeting, both leaders discussed the recruitment of more Bangladeshi workers for safe and secure employment in Russia.

They stressed the need for an early conclusion of all pending memorandums of understanding (MoUs) and agreements between Bangladesh and Russia, including the readmission agreement and the human resource agreement.

Khalilur requested the safe repatriation of Bangladeshis stranded in Russia, while Lavrov assured full consideration of the matter by his government.

Both foreign ministers discussed the safe, secure, and dignified repatriation of forcibly displaced Rohingya people from Bangladesh to their homeland, with Lavrov indicating Russia’s willingness to help find a lasting solution to the issue.

Thanking Lavrov for welcoming him in Moscow, Khalilur invited his Russian counterpart to visit Bangladesh at a mutually convenient time.