Bangladesh is still observing the situation in Ukraine as the Eastern European nation continues to resist a full-scale Russian invasion.
The cabinet discussed the conflict in its weekly meeting on Monday and although it does not support the war, the government is likely to maintain its 'non-interference' policy for now, according to Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam.
“The government has asked the ministry of foreign affairs and everyone else to observe the situation in Ukraine for two or three more days,” he said.
“Our ambassadors in Poland and Romania are keeping a close watch on the situation and informing us about the current state of Bangladeshi nationals there. They’re constantly in touch with us.”
After the fall of the Soviet Union, Ukraine overwhelmingly voted for independence and it now aims to join NATO and the European Union, aspirations that infuriate Moscow, reports bdnews24.com.
Russian President Vladimir Putin called Ukraine an artificial creation carved from Russia by its enemies, a characterisation Ukrainians say is false.
Despite Putin denying any plans of an invasion for months, tensions continued to simmer as Russia recognised Donetsk and Luhansk, two separatist-held territories in eastern Ukraine, as independent.
Later, on Feb 24, Russian forces invaded Ukraine by land, air and sea on Thursday in the biggest attack by one state against another in Europe since World War Two.
In response, the United States and its Western allies have imposed a series of sanctions on Russian individuals and financial institutions.
The situation has left Bangladeshi exporters worried about the ramifications on trade.
Bangladesh also finds itself in a bind as the country's first nuclear power plant is being built in Pabna's Rooppur with the cooperation of Russia.
The government has yet to issue a statement about the war. On Feb 25, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen outlined Bangladesh's position on the conflict during an official trip to New York to attend a high-level UN meeting.
He had said the government was observing the situation and hoped that the crisis in Ukraine would be resolved through a diplomatic process.
"The world is already reeling from a pandemic and so it does not want to see a terrible war. Bangladesh also wants a peaceful settlement and that could be achieved through the UN Charter.”
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam had also highlighted Bangladesh's 'non-interference policy' while addressing the situation in Ukraine.
“Largely, our position is based on non-interference. Whenever such a situation erupts, two different factions emerge. Both of them explain their position not only to Bangladesh but all countries around the world.”
In a statement on Feb 1, the Ministry of Foreign affairs asked all parties to come to a solution through diplomatic dialogue and avoid conflict.
The ministry said Bangladesh believes the peace, stability and development of the region and surrounding areas depend entirely on a peaceful solution.
