Russia helped Bangladesh in the 1971 War of Independence and also post-war rehabilitation. But diplomatic ties were officially established on Jan 25, 1972.

The foreign ministry on Thursday said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in his message said “Russia-Bangladesh ties that exist for decades are characterised by equality and high level of mutual trust".

"We highly appreciate the constructive interaction with Dhaka on international arena, first of all, in the UN and its specialised bodies. Trade and economic cooperation is growing at an ever-increasing rate," he said.

"Its landmark is the large-scale project on construction of the first Nuclear Power Plant “Rooppur” in Bangladesh by Russian specialists," he said while greeting his counterpart Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali.

He desired "further build-up of the whole set of traditionally friendly bilateral relations".

Terming bilateral relations ‘historic’, Ali replied that two countries believe in “a shared vision for equality and dignity”.

He said “our two countries are bound by common interests on a wide range of bilateral, regional and multilateral issues".

He observed that close relationship between Bangladesh and Russia, since our Liberation War in 1971, has served as an 'anchor' in building a mutually beneficial partnership.

Ali expressed "high confidence that mutually supportive and comprehensive economic partnership can be built in the coming years".

He conveyed that the government and people of Bangladesh are "ready and willing to take bold new initiatives together with the friendly people and government of the Russian Federation to realize the full potential of our bilateral relations and elevate it to a strategic level".