Dhaka ban on Russian ships entering ports of Bangladesh was adopted not on its own initiative but under the threat of secondary sanctions by the USA, official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova told a briefing on Friday.
"We became aware that several dozen Russian vessels were banned from entering Bangladeshi ports. We know that this is an unfriendly step and it was taken by the country's authorities not on their own initiative. It was taken under the threat of secondary sanctions from the United States. Here's another example of this intimidation," she said.
"We deplore the fact that this is not the first time Dhaka has succumbed to Washington's pressure. By giving in to outright blackmail, it risks making the future of traditionally friendly Russia-Bangladesh relations dependent on the whims of a third country pursuing its own geopolitical goals," the diplomat added.
According to Zakharova, the Russian side is counting on the fact that "the government of Bangladesh will find strength to assert its national interests more decisively."
The diplomat noted that the Russian Federation "has come to the aid of this country many times in different periods of its history."
GSV "Russia - Islamic world"
Photo: Press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation / TASS
Based on materials from TASS