by Staff Correspondent , Dhaka– Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on arrived on his first ever visit to Bangladesh on Thursday to discuss issues of mutual interest with his Bangladeshi counterpart AK Abdul Momen.

The flight carrying Russia’s top diplomat from Indonesia, where he took part in the East Asia Summit, landed at Dhaka Shahjalal International Airport in the afternoon.

Momen welcomed Lavrov at the airport.

The meeting between the two foreign ministers began at the Hotel Intercontinental in Dhaka in the evening, foreign ministry officials said.

Lavrov’s visit is the first visit by any Russian foreign minister to Bangladesh. The Russian minister will attend the G20 Summit in New Delhi on September 9-10 after completing his Bangladesh visit.

Energy, food security, fertilizer supply and Rohingya crisis are among the issues likely to be discussed during the foreign minister-level talk.

Foreign Minister Momen, who is scheduled to receive his Russian counterpart at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in tomorrow afternoon, earlier told media that the entire gamut of bilateral issues will be discussed in the meeting.

“We have the Rohingya issue, too, for discussion,” foreign minister said.

Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen said on Wednesday that Dhaka would discuss the complex situations that have come across the world since the Ukraine crisis.

Bangladesh could request Russia to find a peaceful solution to the Ukraine crisis as soon as possible, he said.

The two countries will discuss prospects for development of bilateral relations and exchange views on the most pressing regional and international issues, said the Russian Embassy in Dhaka.

Lavrov was originally scheduled to visit Bangladesh on November 23 last year to attend the 22nd IORA Council of Ministers meeting held in Dhaka on November 24.

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