Russia’s uranium shipment for Bangladesh’s Rooppur nuclear plant delayed (Image credit: Reuters)
The nuclear fuel was scheduled to arrive in Bangladesh on September 24 but did not reach the country after the aircraft was not allowed to use Pakistani airspace. “We heard that a cargo plane carrying uranium for the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Bangladesh was scheduled to arrive on September 24.
Russia has now proposed the first week of October as a new arrival date, according to Bangladesh officials as cited by news agency ANI. Sheikh Mohammed Tauhidul Islam, joint secretary in Bangladesh’s science and technology ministry, said preparations had been completed at the airport before officials were informed that the airspace was unavailable. “We had completed all the preparations at the airport and were waiting, but the liaison officer from Rosatom told us that the airspace was not clear. It may need to be rescheduled”, he said. Pakistan’s high commission in Dhaka, in a clarification, said the matter was related to technical and procedural arrangements. The high commission also said the incident should not be linked to Pakistan-Bangladesh ties. “Pakistan attaches high importance to its relations with Bangladesh, and it would therefore be appropriate to view the matter in its proper technical context and not attach undue significance to reports or narratives that may seek to misplace it to undermine our bilateral relations,” it said.
However, the flight was not given permission to use Pakistani airspace, so the uranium did not arrive in Bangladesh as planned. As of now, the exact reason for Pakistan not granting the airspace clearance is still unknown”, ANI quoted Bangladesh’s minister for science and technology Faqir Mahbub Anam saying. So we couldn’t send it.