Sanctions on Russia unlikely to affect Rooppur project: Foreign Secy

Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen has said sanctions on Russia may not have any direct impact on Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant and other projects.

"The full impact of sanctions on Russia is not clear yet and may become clear in the next few days. But, until now, we think no direct impact will come on the Rooppur and other projects," the secretary told reporters in reply to a query at the office of Bangladesh Institute of Law and International Affairs (BILIA) in Dhanmondi Saturday (26 February).

However, he said if the financial transactions of the projects are routed through New York, the progress of the projects may get affected.

He also warned that more sanctions are likely to be imposed on Russia in the coming days and any sanctions on construction company Rosatom [responsible for Rooppur plant], in particular, would affect the project.

Momen also noted that so far 100 Bangladeshi expatriates have reached our Embassy in Poland from the crisis-hit Ukraine recently.

The government has already activated missions in Poland, Denmark and Austria and Bangladeshis living in Ukraine are in touch with the missions.

The number may rise in the next one or two days, said the secretary, informing that the total number living in Ukraine is around 1,000.

Momen said an inter-missional meeting has also been called on Sunday.

"In the next two days, the situation will be cleared and it will be easy to decide our next steps."

Arrangements will be made to bring them back to the country after confirming who wants to return to the country and who wants to wait.