Chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday urged Russian entrepreneurs to invest more in Bangladesh.
He made the call when Russian Ambassador to Bangladesh Alexander V Mantytskiy paid a farewell call on him at his Tejgaon office in the capital.
During the meeting, Mantytskiy recalled his eventful time during his over three-year tenure as the ambassador of the Russian Federation to Bangladesh.
He informed the chief adviser of the progress of the Rooppur nuclear power plant, which is expected to generate power next year. The plant is primarily funded by Russia, and its experts are implementing the project.
Russia鈥檚 state-run company Gazprom鈥檚 exploration activities in Bangladesh, Russian exports of wheat as well as fertiliser and repayment of the debt of the Rooppur plant were also discussed during the meeting.
Chief adviser Professor Yunus appreciated Russian cooperation in the power and energy sectors and Russia鈥檚 role as a supplier of wheat and fertiliser to Bangladesh.
The chief adviser said the interim government would resolve the payment issues over the Rooppur project.
Welcoming Russian investment in Bangladesh, Yunus said, 鈥榃e will work together.鈥�
Lamiya Morshed, senior secretary and head of SDG Affairs, and Md Abul Hasan Mridha, director general of the foreign ministry, were present at the meeting.
Later, Professor Muhammad Yunus urged Spain to increase trade and investment in Bangladesh to help in economic recovery after years of plundering during the ousted autocratic regime.
He made the request when Spanish Ambassador to Bangladesh Gabriel Sistiaga met him at his office in Tejgaon, Dhaka.
The envoy wanted to know if Spain could support Bangladesh鈥檚 interim government anyway in its reform initiatives using its own experience.
The Chief Adviser thanked Spain for the offer and said Bangladesh would welcome any support from the country in reforms that the interim government was trying to make in some of the vital areas.
He underlined the areas of cooperation, including investment in the healthcare sector and infrastructural development for Bangladesh Railway.
鈥楽pain can support us in many ways. It can bring more investment here and expand imports of our garment products,鈥� Prof Yunus told the ambassador during the meeting.
鈥楢lso getting some support from Spain in our development sector will help,鈥� he said.
Noting that currently some 60,000 Bangladeshis are working in Spain, the Chief Adviser urged Spain to hire more manpower from Bangladesh, both in technical and non-technical sectors.
Ambassador Sistiaga handed Prof Yunus a letter from Spanish President Pedro Sanchez congratulating him on assuming the role of the head of Bangladesh鈥檚 interim government.
He also conveyed Spanish President鈥檚 invitation to the Chief Adviser to visit Spain during the International Conference on Financing for Development to be held in the country from June 30 to July 3, 2025.
Prof Yunus requested the ambassador to convey his greetings to Queen Sof颅a of Spain and recalled his fond memories with her during her several visits to Bangladesh.
He also invited her to visit Bangladesh again.