Political relations

In 1971, the USSR supported the struggle of the people of Bangladesh for independence and was one of the first countries to recognize a new sovereign republic. The position that the Soviet Union took in the United Nations Organization during the discussions of the conflict between India and Pakistan, was of particular importance for the success of the national liberation movement. On 25 January 1972, the USSR and Bangladesh exchanged notes on establishing diplomatic relations. The Soviet Union significantly assisted a newly born state in reviving its economy destroyed during the Liberation War and supported Dhaka in joining the UN.

That time marked the beginning of the first top and high-level contacts. On 1‑5 March 1972, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman accompanied by Foreign Minister Abdus Samad Azad visited the USSR. During their stay, the agreements were signed that laid the foundation for bilateral interaction for decades to come, including intergovernmental treaties on economic and technical cooperation, air services, trade, cultural and scientific cooperation.

Opening of the memorial stele in memory of sailor of the Special Task Force of the Pacific Fleet of the Soviet Navy Yury Redkin, Chittagong

In accordance with the agreement reached during the visit on providing free assistance to Bangladesh for restoring navigation in its seaports, the Special Task Force of the Pacific Fleet of the Soviet Navy led by Rear Admiral Sergey P. Zuenko in 1972-74 had been removing mines and sunken ships from the Chittagong port. Sailor Yuri V. Redkin, who lost his life on duty, is buried on the premises of Bangladesh Military Navy Academy.

The USSR considerably helped Bangladesh in revitalizing and developing its economy. The Ghorashal and Siddhirganj power plants, the electrical equipment factory in Chittagong, which are still operating, were built with financial and technical assistance from the Soviet Union.

On 29 December 1991, the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh recognized the Russian Federation as the successor to the USSR.

Russia-Bangladesh relations gained momentum in the 2010s. The two countries regularly interact through various ministries and agencies, work on a number of joint economic projects, and develop cooperation in cultural and educational spheres.

Russia and Bangladesh maintain a regular political dialogue. In November 2010, Vladimir Putin, Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation, and Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh, met on the sidelines of the International Forum on Tiger Conservation in Saint Petersburg.

H.E. Sheikh Hasina and H.E. Vladimir V.Putin in Moscow

In January 2013, Sheikh Hasina paid an official visit to Moscow to hold talks with President Vladimir Putin, and meetings with Valentina Matvienko, Chairperson of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly, Nikolay Nikiforov, Minister of Telecom and Mass Communications, and Sergey Kirienko, Director General of the Russian State Corporation “Rosatom”. Three intergovernmental agreements on credit cooperation and six inter-agency memoranda of understanding were signed. It was the first official visit at such a high level in the history of bilateral relations over the last 40 years.

H.E. Sheikh Hasina and H.E. Dmitry A.Medvedev
in Ulaanbaatar

In July 2016, Dmitry Medvedev, Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation, and Sheikh Hasina met on the sidelines of the 11^th ASEM (“Asia-Europe” Forum) summit in Mongolia.

The contacts through the foreign offices are maintained on a regular basis. Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali, Bangladesh Foreign Minister, paid visits to Russia in 2017 and 2018, his successor Abul Kalam Abdul Momen – in 2019. On July 16, 2021, Sergey Lavrov, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, held a meeting with A.K. Abdul Momen on the sidelines of the international conference “Central and South Asia: Regional Connectivity. Challenges and Opportunities” in Tashkent.

Heads of the Ministries of Foreign Affairds Abul Kalam Abdul Momen and Sergey V.Lavrov on the sidelines of the international conference “Central and South Asia: Regional Connectivity. Challenges and Opportunities” in Tashkent

There is a consultation mechanism at the deputy foreign minister level. In May 2018, Mikhail Bogdanov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, took part in the 45^th meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Dhaka.

Moscow and Dhaka coordinate actions in the international arena. Guided by the fundamental principles of the UN Charter, our countries jointly advocate for establishing fair and multipolar world order, ensuring global and regional security, joining efforts of the international community in combating terrorism and glorification of Nazism, climate change and COVID-19 pandemic, preventing an arms race, including that in space.

Russia and Bangladesh cooperate in major international organizations, including the UN, the Non-Aligned Movement, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia, Asia-Europe Meeting, ASEAN Regional Forum, etc. On 17 November 2021, at the 21^st annual meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Russia was granted the status of an IORA dialogue partner.

The inter-parliamentary cooperation between the two countries see further development. In 2016, Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, Speaker of the Bangladesh Parliament (Jatiya Sangsad) and Chairperson of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, Saber Hossain Chowdhury, Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) President, and Iqbalur Rahim, Whip of the Jatiya Sangsad, participated in the 44^th Plenary Session of the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of the Commonwealth of Independent States in Saint Petersburg.

H.E. Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury at the 3rd Eurasian Women’s Forum

In 2017, the parliament leadership held meetings during the 136^th and the 137^th IPU assemblies in Dhaka and Saint Petersburg. In 2018, Dipu Moni, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, took part in the Second Eurasian Women’s Forum (EWF) in Saint Petersburg, in 2021, Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, Speaker of the Bangladesh Parliament, participated in the Third EWF. On 1-3 July 2019, a delegation of the Jatiya Sangsad led by Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury attended the 2^nd International Forum “Development of Parliamentarism” in Moscow. In November 2021, a parliamentary friendship group on relations with the Russian Federation was established in the Parliament of Bangladesh.

Inter-party ties between our countries are developing as well. In 2016, a delegation of the ruling United Russia party (“Yedinaya Rossiya”) led by Sergey Zheleznyak, Deputy Secretary of the General Council of the party, visited Dhaka to participate in the 20^th National Council of the ruling Awami League. Bangladesh Tariqat Federation party traditionally participates in annual meetings of the Group of Strategic Vision “Russia-Islamic World”. The last one was held in December 2021 in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia).

In September 2021, K.M. Nurul Huda, Bangladesh Chief Election Commissioner, visited Moscow to observe the elections to the State Duma (the lower house of the Federal Assembly) of the 8^th convocation.

There is continuous interaction between the supreme courts of Russia and Bangladesh. In 2017, Vyacheslav Lebedev, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, visited Dhaka and signed the bilateral agreement on cooperation. In 2019, a delegation led by Syed Mahmud Hossain, Chief Justice of Bangladesh, paid an official visit to Russia.