Russia and Bangladesh are moving to deepen economic ties, with plans to establish a joint business council and hold a bilateral business forum in Moscow, while Russia expects the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant to begin supplying 300 megawatts of electricity to Bangladesh’s national grid next month.

Russian Ambassador to Bangladesh Alexander Grigoryevich Khozin made the remarks during a courtesy meeting with Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) Administrator Md Fazlul Hoque at the FBCCI office in Gulshan on Wednesday.

Khozin said technical issues at Rooppur are being addressed and nearly 4,000 Russian experts and engineers are currently working on the project. According to BSS, the envoy expressed optimism that the plant would start contributing 300MW to the national grid next month.

The ambassador also agreed to work with the FBCCI to establish a Russia-Bangladesh Business Council aimed at expanding trade, investment and wider economic cooperation.

Russia is also planning to host a Russia-Bangladesh Business Forum in Moscow to bring businesses from the two countries into closer contact. A formal announcement is expected during the next meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission, scheduled to be held in Dhaka in early November.

The proposed forum is expected to create opportunities for direct business links and partnerships between Bangladeshi and Russian companies.

During the meeting, Fazlul Hoque urged Russia to give greater attention to Bangladesh’s ready-made garment sector, alongside other emerging areas of bilateral economic cooperation.

The discussions come as Bangladesh and Russia seek to broaden commercial engagement beyond traditional areas of cooperation, including energy and major infrastructure projects.

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