Bangladesh to stay neutral at WTO

Bangladesh is likely to adopt a neutral stance at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) where some of its major global trading partners have issued condemnations over the Russian aggression on Ukraine in collaboration with Belarus.

The WTO sent a letter to the commerce ministry dated March 14 seeking support in favour of Ukraine.

It also wanted Bangladesh to express solidarity with the trading partners over the imposition of any kind of measure against Russia.

In the letter, the WTO said it circulated the communication at the request of Albania, Australia, Canada, the European Union, Iceland, Japan, Korea, Moldova, Montenegro, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States.

"We received the WTO letter. Our position is neutral," said Hafizur Rahman, director-general of the commerce ministry's WTO cell.

"In this case, we will follow the principle of our foreign policy…friendship to all, malice towards none," he said.

"Nevertheless, we will discuss the issue with our stakeholders before we send our reply to the WTO letter. We will give a reply to the letter soon," said Rahman, also an additional secretary to the commerce ministry.

Bangladesh may face some challenges in trade in the future as a majority of the solidarity-expressing nations are major trading partners, he said.

But the country does have its own right to take the stance it deems fit in any international dispute, Rahman also told The Daily Star.

The letter said the solidarity-expressing countries consider the Russian actions to be an unprovoked, premeditated attack against a sovereign democratic state.

They also see it as an egregious violation of international law, the UN Charter, and fundamental principles of international peace and security, it read.

These actions call into serious questions Russia's respect for all international institutions, disciplines and norms, it said.

"Together, we insist that the Russian Federation urgently stops the military aggression and immediately withdraws its troops."

"We are firmly convinced that the Russian Federation must be held accountable and stop undermining democracy, global stability and international law."

The letter also mentions that the solidarity-expressing nations, as WTO members, would take any action considered necessary to protect essential security interests.

These may include actions in support of Ukraine or to suspend concessions or other obligations with respect to Russia, such as the suspension of most-favoured-nation treatment to Russia's products and services.

"Furthermore, in light of Belarus's material support to the actions of the Russian Federation, we consider that its accession process is suspended and will not participate in any accession–related work," the letter said.

"Finally, we will continue to call on the Russian Federation to live up to its responsibility to maintain international peace and security."