Dhaka, Sep 23 (Reporter) Bangladesh has proposed an extension on Russia's loans for Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant but Moscow is hesitant to proceed with repayment and wants payment of loan interest to be made through Chinese banks, which Dhaka is yet to give a green signal, media reports said. Bangladesh borrowed USD 12.65 billion from the Russia EXIM Bank for the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project. A bilateral agreement was signed on this matter in 2016, which was followed by the release of the funds in 2017, Prothom Alo reported. Payment of interest has already begun, and Dhaka is supposed to pay USD 110 million in two instalments annually. Since Russia faces international sanctions, Bangladesh cannot send money through the country’s EXIM bank. So, Dhaka is depositing the funds in a special account of Bangladesh Bank. According to reports, Russia made another proposal to Bangladesh in August, asking that the money held in the special account of Bangladesh Bank be sent to Russia through a Chinese bank. Dhaka is yet to respond to the proposal.To date, an overdue amount of USD 630 million has been deposited in a special account of Bangladesh Bank. Bangladesh started building the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant at a cost of about Tk 1.14 trillion in 2016, and the project is set to be finished on December 31, 2025. Now the deadline seems to be delayed by two more years. Moscow is lending USD 12.65 billion for this project. “The matter of loan repayment should be discussed with Russia since there has already been a big investment. So, it is necessary to negotiate logically instead of getting emotional. If Russia can be convinced of our situation, the matter will be solved soon," said Selim Raihan, executive director of the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM)...////...