Description

Bangladesh and Russia marked fifty years of their bilateral relations on 25 January 2022. This occasion gives an opportunity to assess the past, present, and future of this notable bilateral relationship. This article investigates different aspects in the last fifty years of Bangladesh-Russia relations. It focuses on understanding why the relations are worth to be assessed with the interdisciplinary theoretical lenses. The article relies on ontological security theory to understand the common areas of interest, why these nations are coming closer in recent years, and what factors made them come closer. The article also sheds light on the historical evolution of their bilateral relations since 1971. The article argues that Bangladesh-Russia bilateral relations witnessed ups and downs, and the trajectory of relations has not always been linear and warm but rather changed directly proportional to ups and downs in domestic politics, which can be attributed to ideational differences in the political leaders and regimes. The article shows that these nations have many challenges as well as prospects in their bilateral relations, also some inter-subjective resemblances which may be explored to transform a mere diplomatic relationship into a strategic one.

Keywords: Bangladesh, Foreign Policy, Russia, Bangladesh-Russia Relations, Inter-subjectivities, Ontological Security, Foreign Policy of Bangladesh.