Staff Correspondent

Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin today held a bilateral meeting with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Sergey A Ryabkov, on the sidelines of the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia.

During the meeting, both sides discussed areas of mutual interest and cooperation, with a focus on further strengthening the relations between two countries, said a foreign ministry's press release here.

The discussions also featured holding the next Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) in Moscow, Russia.

Foreign Secretary highlighted the historical ties between Bangladesh and Russia and underscored the importance of cooperation in the areas of energy and food security between two countries.

The Russian Deputy Foreign Minister expressed commitment to advance the 'matured' relations to a new height.

Foreign Secretary thanked the Deputy Foreign Minister for inviting Bangladesh to the BRICS summit and shared Bangladesh's keen interest to contribute to the BRICS process.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister thanked the Bangladesh government of Bangladesh for its renewed commitment to remain engaged with the BRICS process.

He assured that the Russian government will support Bangladesh for its greater role in the bloc during its future expansion.

Ryabkov lauded Bangladesh's standing on multilateral issues including its strong belief in multilateralism and a multipolar world for a sustained and rule based global order as forward looking.

He shared that the BRICS Declaration (Kazan Declaration) under Russiann Presidency would focus on practical and result-oriented cooperation for the developing countries.

The deputy foreign minister also highlighted Bangladesh's role as a full- fledged member of the New Development Bank (NDB) and assured continued support.