MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th May, 2023) Bangladesh is ready to buy Russian oil if it is offered at an affordable price, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said on Wednesday.
"Wherever it is available and at a comfortable price, we will definitely buy it. Why not?" the prime minister said at the Qatar Economic Forum, commenting on the possibility of buying oil from Russia.
She added that Bangladesh will not take sides in conflicts between other countries.
"There may be conflicts from country to country. But we never play a partisan role. We have to develop our country and fulfill our people's demand," the prime minister said.
Last year, Bangladeshi Ambassador to Russia Kamrul Ahsan told Sputnik that Bangladesh was trying to negotiate oil supplies with Russia despite Western sanctions, as Dhaka was rocked by protests over fuel price hikes.
The European Union has imposed 10 packages of sanctions against Russia since it launched its military operation in Ukraine in February 2022. In December 2022, the G7 countries, Australia and the EU imposed a price cap of $60 per barrel on Russian crude transported by sea, blocking the transport of oil bought at higher prices. In retaliation, Russia banned the sale of its oil abroad if supply contracts included a price cap mechanism.
