Hasina to hold talks with Zelensky in Munich

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Ukraine President Vlodymyr Zelensky will have a bilateral meeting on the sideline of the Munich Security Conference in Germany.

The PM is scheduled to leave for Germany today and return on February 19, Foreign Minister Hassan Mahmud told a press briefing at the ministry yesterday.

The PM will also call for an end to the Russia-Ukraine war and other conflicts across the world, he said.

"The Ukrainian president sought an appointment and our prime minister agreed to meet him," he said.

The meeting will not affect the friendly relations between Bangladesh and Russia, he added.

"Russia is a very close friend of ours. Our ties go way back to the days of our Liberation War. During the war, a Russian soldier was killed while minesweeping at Chattogram port."

Peace and economic prosperity cannot be achieved without ending conflicts, he said.

Repatriation of displaced Myanmar people will be widely discussed at the Munich conference which will be attended by representatives from around 60 countries, he said, adding that Bangladesh will seek support for Rohingya repatriation.

Responding to a question, he said the PM is not likely to visit India before the neighbouring country's national polls in May.

The foreign minister and Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen will also visit Germany to attend the conference.

The PM is also scheduled to have bilateral meetings with the German chancellor, prime ministers of the Netherlands and Denmark, and foreign minister of India on the sidelines of the conference.