Turkey would be "more than happy" to help Bangladesh by become a transit country for Russian energy supplies, which Dhaka needs to tackle fuel shortages, Turkish ambassador in Bangladesh Mustafa Osman Turan said on Wednesday.
Speaking at a "Meet the Ambassador" event in Dhaka, the Turkish diplomat stated that Russia was ready to make Turkey an energy hub for exporting oil and gas to Europe.
"If that is possible for Bangladesh and some formula can be found, and if we need to play a role in this as a transit country, of course, we will be more than happy to do so," Ambassador Turan said.
At the same time, the ambassador pointed out that his country does not possess energy resources, "so, we are not a source country for energy supply, but we are [surely] a transit country."
The news comes amid an unprecedented energy crisis in Bangladesh, which has become exacerbated due to record global oil prices and the country’s dwindling foreign exchange reserves.
The fuel shortages have forced Bangladesh to halt generation at 30 power plants, with a total generation capacity of around 4,000 MW, and introduce power rationing during the peak summer season. According to government data, power generation fell to 9,550 MW during peak hours on November 9, down from the 13,500 MW witnessed during peak summer.
Earlier this month, Bangladesh's Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr. Hasan Mahmud said that crude oil from Russia did not match the country’s refinery and there were some other obstacles as well, indicating a lack of free-and-safe transaction mechanism between the two countries.
Local media reported that Bangladesh was exploring an alternative payment system to avert western sanctions on Russia, including the SWIFT ban, to keep up bilateral trade.
On Sunday, Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen said that energy cooperation would be one of the primary topics during the bilateral meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov later this month.
The Russian top diplomat is likely to visit Dhaka on November 23.