H.E. Alexander I. Ignatov is the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. He graduated in 1978 from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations and joined the diplomatic services in the same year. He has served in different capacities at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and diplomatic missions in various countries. He worked at the Embassy of the USSR in Bangladesh (1978 – 1980), after which he spent time in numerous other nations. In 2015 he became the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation in the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.
Bangladesh and Russia have a historical bond from the birth of Bangladesh, and now it rises to new heights with the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant. Our countries are getting closer day by day. How are you evaluating the relations between Russia and Bangladesh?
Relations of traditional friendship between our two countries are a matter of pride for us. At present, we continue to build up our cooperation in all spheres. The political dialogue between the two nations, including at the highest level, is intensifying and is very productive. Moscow and Dhaka share a common stance on the majority of international issues and maintain regular political contact.
The progress in our economic relations gives us particular satisfaction. The Rooppur NPP is undoubtedly our joint flagship project. Russia attaches great importance to its realization. Its aim is to contribute to solving the power deficit problem in Bangladesh, thus ensuring the smooth economic development of this country.
Naturally, bilateral cooperation can be further enhanced through many dimensions. To develop broad-based cooperation in various spheres, the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation was established on March 1st this year. We hope that it will give a new impetus to our political relations, strengthen ties between business communities of our countries and bolster the exchange of information and ideas between Moscow and Dhaka.
What do you think about future trade relationship between Bangladesh and Russia?
Last year, we had a record-high trade turnover, which exceeded $1.4 billion. And we are expecting a new record this year. Already, in the first quarter of 2017, our bilateral trade volume was 63% higher than at the same period last year. It proves that we have huge potential to develop our commercial relations. Bangladesh exports garments and leather products to Russia while importing grain, machinery, various equipment, metals, minerals and fertilizers from our country. I am convinced, both countries can diversify their exports.
What is your opinion about the business environment and possibilities of Bangladesh in the future?
The Bangladesh economy is developing very fast nowadays and has tremendous untapped potential. First of all, it is a market of 160 million people. Secondly, we recognize that the Government of Bangladesh is actively developing special economic zones with highly favorable investment climate. Thirdly, Bangladesh is the world’s 2nd largest ready-made garment (RMG) manufacturing hub after China, a significant producer of jute and jute goods, leather and leather products, sea-foods, handicrafts. I believe, as soon as the problem of poverty is solved, Bangladesh will enter a group of newly industrialized countries.
At this stage of globalization, IT has surfaced as an important sector. What are the bilateral activities in this area?
In the IT sphere, the bilateral cooperation goes mostly along the B2B lines. I will mention a few examples of successful Russian IT projects in Bangladesh. For instance, Kaspersky Lab, a world reputed Russian cyber security solution providing company, is popular in Bangladesh and commands an exclusively large market share in the local IT industry. It has become a household name although back in 2008 it was simply a cyber-security software pioneer here.
Also, GS Group, an international investment, and industry holding company provided technologies to launch RealVU – the first direct-to-home (DTH) digital television service in Bangladesh. I personally use it and enjoy it daily. The project was implemented in partnership with the Bangladeshi conglomerate BEXIMCO. Currently, DTH platform RealVU offers more than 100 TV channels in SD and HD quality, including Russia Today TV Channel (RTTV).
Russian investments and technologies were used to create Ollo Internet Company. Russia is interested in developing further cooperation with Bangladesh in the IT area. RITE (Russian IT Export), a specialized company of Rostec State Corporation, is interested in entering the Bangladeshi market, for example. We hope that our cooperation in the field of information technologies will intensify in the near future and we are working to make it a reality.
Young people in Bangladesh are very much interested in studying in Russia. What can you say about the cooperation between our countries in the education sector?
The main aim of our cooperation in the education sector is to provide a direct contribution to the development of the country’s human resources. Our bilateral collaboration in this sphere goes back to the 1970s when Bangladesh was making its first steps as an independent state. Since that time, over five thousand students from Bangladesh have graduated from Russian institutions of higher education. Now they work almost in all spheres, including governmental bodies and private business. The Soviet & Russian Alumni Association of Bangladesh unites all those who studied in our country.
The Russian Federation gives foreign citizens an opportunity to receive higher education in Russian educational institutions at the expense of the Russian federal budget or on a commercial basis in accordance with relevant contracts on providing paid educational services. In 2017, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation allocated for Bangladeshi students 53 full-paid scholarships, 20 of them, and I stress it – for nuclear science. For those who would like to apply to Russian universities, I recommend using the online system RUSSIA.STUDY (http://russia.study) which is a source of information about Russian higher education institutions. It also lets foreign citizens submit application documents online and follow the results of the selection process. Potential applicants from Bangladesh may get additional information about Russian universities and available scholarships at the Education Section of the Russian Centre of Science and Culture in Dhaka.
Are you taking human resources from Bangladesh for the growing economy of Russia?
I am frequently asked about this issue. At present we do not have a legal basis for foreign workers from Bangladesh to come to our country. Russia and Bangladesh do not even have an extradition treaty, and that is a significant restraint. We cannot let foreign workers enter our country without it. If a foreigner comes to Russia and, say, commits a crime, we have to send him back, which is impossible without an extradition agreement. Unless we have this agreement signed with Bangladesh, it will be impossible for Russia to accept workers from Bangladesh. We have extradition agreements with many countries. In fact, we proposed to sign the deal ten years ago, but we are still waiting for feedback from Bangladesh. Another problem in taking migrant workers from Bangladesh to Russia is the language problem. To work in Russia, it is essential to know Russian.
