BANGLADESH

Russian envoy hopeful of quick end to war: Hasan Mahmud

Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud today said Russian envoy to Bangladesh Alexander Vikentyevich Mantytskiy expressed the hope that the ongoing Russian-Ukraine war would end soon.

The minister said this to reporters after a meeting with the Russian envoy at the Information and Broadcasting Ministry office at Secretariat in the capital.

Hasan said, “I’ve told the envoy that Russia is our tested friend. I recalled the role of Russia during our Liberation War and in nation building after Liberation War and thanked him. At the same time, I also informed him about our position over the war.”

He said, “Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said that ‘we don’t want war in the world and it (war) doesn’t bring any welfare’. Sanctions and counter sanctions also don’t bring any good. I informed him the statement of the premier and the position of the government. I told him that it will be better for all if the war ends soon. He hoped that the war will end soon. He talked about his hope.”

The minister said a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the state-owned news agency, Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS), and ITAR-TASS for exchanging news in 2017. The envoy has proposed to turn it (MoU) into an agreement, said Hasan, also Awami League joint general secretary.

He said the ambassador also proposed for exchanging news with another Russian news agency Sputnik and BSS. Mantytskiy also proposed airing Russian serials by Bangladeshi TV channels, he added.

The minister said he suggested the envoy to give proposals to the country’s private TV channels. Besides, discussions on cultural exchanges were also held in the meeting, he added.

Replying to a query over BNP’s ongoing divisional rallies, Hasan said BNP has taken a mega project of extortion in the name of divisional rally and they are collecting money from all the black money holders. They are also collecting money from many businessmen too, he added.

He said, “I heard that they are also being funded by an international special intelligence agency from which Begum Khaleda Zia took money and the chief of the agency had testified it in his country’s court. I heard that they (BNP) got money from the agency this time also.”

About his recent India tour, the minister said there was about one kilometer queue to see the ‘Hawa’ cinema and the viewers were there from 6am while the show began at 1.30 pm. The number of shows increased due to the demand of the viewers, he added.

He said the journalists of Press Club of India urged to screen some Bangladeshi films in Delhi too and “I arranged it.”

Additional secretary of the ministry Md Faruque Ahmed and senior officials were present in the meeting.

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