Shawdesh desk:

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has said the body of Md Hadisur Rahman has been preserved in Ukraine and efforts are underway to bring back the body home.

He also said 28 crew members of Bangladeshi ship “Banglar Samriddhi” are now in Bucharest, Romania, he said at a press conference at state guesthouse Padma Sunday afternoon.

Md Hadisur Rahman, 47, third engineer of Banglar Samriddhi, was killed in a rocket attack on the Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC) vessel stranded at a Ukraine port.

The 28 other crew members of  the ship have safely reached Romania from war-ravaged Ukraine and they will soon return home, said the Foreign Minister on Saturday.

“We’ve brought them (28 crew) in Romania. They’ll soon return to Bangladesh,” he told reporters at a programme held in the Jatiya Press Club.

Expressing deep condolences to the near and dear ones of deceased Hadisur Rahman, the Russian Embassy in Dhaka on Thursday said the Russian side “bends every effort” to ensure safe departure of the Bangladeshi ship from the port.

The Command of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, relying on the objective monitoring data, has repeatedly stated that, during the retreat, the Ukrainian nationalists open indiscriminate fire and deliberately capture hostages, use them as a “human shield”, resorting to the well-known terrorists’ tactic, said the Embassy.

The BSC ship was positioned in the inner anchorage of Olvia port (Ukraine), when Hadisur was killed due to a missile attack.

“The circumstances of the incident are being established,” said the embassy.

Regarding the video posted by five Bangladeshis,  the Foreign Minister said the government is scrutinising their statements to know the facts and their position.

“We came to know about them through watching the video. We’ve talked to our Ambassador who is in charge. We’re trying to get their information and securitising their statements as they claimed they are kept forcibly there by the Ukrainian government as human shield,” Dr Momen said.

Not war, want peace

Asked whether there is any change in Bangladesh’s position regarding Ukraine issue, the Foreign Minister said the position remains unchanged. “We want peace and discussion through diplomatic means to resolve (the issue).”

He said if there is any instability anywhere, Bangladesh like other countries will face difficulties.

Bangladesh was one of the 35 countries which abstained from voting on a resolution at the UN General Assembly recently.

Asked why Bangladesh did abstain from voting, the Foreign Minister defended the position saying Bangladesh wants peace and does not want war.

Bangladesh said it is deeply concerned over the recent escalation of violence in Ukraine and such violence would seriously impact the peace and stability of the whole region.

Bangladesh also urged all parties to exercise maximum restraint, cessation of hostilities and endeavour to resolve this crisis through returning to diplomacy and dialogue.

The Foreign Minister also said they are discussing with India continuously and they are helping Bangladesh.

Dr Momen said Bangladesh is the biggest promoter of peace in the world and Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman always promoted peace.