Home Affairs Adviser Lieutenant General Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury (Retd.) has requested the non-resident ambassador of Belarus to Bangladesh (based in New Delhi) to open an embassy in Dhaka.
The request was made during a courtesy call on the non-resident ambassador of Belarus to Bangladesh, Mikhail Kasko, at his office in the Ministry of Home Affairs at the Bangladesh Secretariat on Wednesday (July 09, 2025) afternoon.
The adviser said that Bangladesh established diplomatic relations with Belarus in 1992 after gaining independence from the former Soviet Union. There is cooperation between the two countries in various sectors including trade and commerce, agriculture, education, defense, technology, which is expanding day by day. Bangladesh is one of the largest importers of fertilizer from Belarus. Due to these reasons, people-to-people contacts between the two countries are gradually increasing. He said that currently, there is an honorary consulate of Belarus in Dhaka. But since the main embassy is located in New Delhi, the people are suffering due to delays, increased costs, and harassment in visa and consular procedures. That is why it is necessary to open a full-fledged embassy of Belarus in Dhaka. The advisor drew the attention of the Belarusian ambassador to this issue.
Regarding the opening of the embassy, the ambassador said that it is not impossible. However, effective initiatives are needed from the governments of the two countries in this regard. He said that until 2021, Bangladesh used to import the most MOP (muriate of potash) from Belarus. Due to the US sanctions on Belarus in 2021, Bangladesh could not pay for the fertilizer imported. Since then, fertilizer imports from Belarus to Bangladesh have been stopped.
Regarding the payment of fertilizer import fees, the advisor said that we have paid for the fertilizer import fees of all countries. He said that the dues of Belarus will also be paid quickly by finding an appropriate process. He instructed the Chairman of Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation to hold a meeting with the representatives of Belarus and take necessary measures in this regard.
When the ambassador requested the release of a Belarusian citizen from a Bangladeshi jail, the advisor said that the Belarusian citizen has been sentenced to life imprisonment in a murder case. Moreover, the case is pending in the High Court. Moreover, there is no agreement between the two countries regarding the exchange of convicted criminals through diplomatic channels. Lieutenant General Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury (Retd.) said that Bangladesh has good relations with Belarus. But a criminal is a criminal regardless of the country he belongs to. However, Bangladesh will provide maximum cooperation in this regard.
The meeting discussed various issues related to mutual interests including law and order and security issues between the two countries, prevention of illegal immigration and human trafficking, opening of a full-fledged embassy of Belarus in Dhaka, and increasing trade and commerce.
At the beginning of the meeting, the advisor welcomed the ambassador and exchanged greetings. The Ambassador invited the Advisor to the National Day of Belarus to be held in Dhaka.
The meeting was attended by Honorary Consul of the Honorary Consulate of Belarus in Dhaka Aniruddha K. Roy, Additional Secretary (Political and ICT) Khandaker Md. Mahabubur Rahman, Joint Secretary (Political-1) Md. Jasim Uddin Khan, and others.
