Last month, Russia summoned the Bangladesh ambassador to
protest Dhaka's decision to block port entry of dozens of
Russian ships that have fallen under Western sanctions following
Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
(Reporting by Ruma Paul in Dhaka; Additional reporting by Jyoti
Narayan in Bengaluru; Writing by Shivam Patel; Editing by Toby
Chopra and Bernadette Baum)
(Adds detail, background, changes sourcing)
By Ruma Paul
March 16 (Reuters) - Russia is seeking a direct payment
system in roubles with Bangladesh to settle repayment of a loan
for building a nuclear power plant as Western sanctions hinder
fund transfers, a Bangladesh government official said on
Thursday.
Bangladesh is constructing the first of two nuclear power
plants in collaboration with Russia's state-owned atomic company
Rosatom under a $12.65-billion project, 90% of which is financed
through a Russian loan repayable within 28 years, with a 10-year
grace period.
The project would help curb frequent power cuts which
analysts expect to worsen this year as Bangladesh's ability to
import fuels has taken a hit following a rapid decline in the
value of its currency and foreign exchange reserves.
"Russia wants us to make payment in roubles, bypassing the
normal global system," Uttam Kumar Karmaker, a senior official
in the Economic Relations Division, told Reuters.
"Several rounds of virtual meetings were held in this regard
but we did not come to any solution. We asked them to send a
team to Bangladesh for further discussion," he added.
Dhaka has asked Moscow to ensure it uses non-sanctioned
ships for delivering equipment for the nuclear plant, due to
start operating in 2024.
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