Bangladesh scales up efforts to bar any of 69 Russian ships sanctioned by US
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) – Bangladesh has scaled up its efforts to prevent any of the 69 US-sanctioned Russian ships from entering its territory, the Foreign Ministry stated on Friday.
The Mercantile Marine Office of Bangladesh, located in the country’s main port city of Chattogram, issued a circular addressing the International Maritime Organization (IMO) on January 16, stating that any of those ships are not allowed to avail of any services in the country, including certification, renewal, refueling, and insurance.
The IMO is the UN specialized agency responsible for shipping safety and security.
The circular seems to be the outcome of US pressure on Bangladesh, as it was issued a day after Donald Lu, the US assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian Affairs, visited the country for two days.
On January 22, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen called on Russia to transport any materials to the country using ships other than the 69 sanctioned by the US.
“We have developed a good relationship with the United States and we don’t want to accept those ships which are under the sanctions,” Momen said.
A director in the Foreign Ministry speaking on the condition of anonymity said the relationship between Bangladesh and Russia is very strong and that Moscow must realize the ground reality of the government in Dhaka for barring the sanctioned ship.
Bangladesh adheres to the founding fathers’ foreign policy of “friendship to all and malice to none,” he added.
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