NEW DELHI, July 11 (RIA Novosti) - Russia and Bangladesh will sign a nuclear cooperation agreement after a Bangladeshi delegation inspects Russian nuclear facilities, a local news agency reported Saturday.

"We have recently received an invitation from the Russian government to visit various [nuclear] facilities," the United News of Bangladesh quoted a Bangladeshi IT Ministry high-ranking official as saying. "They propose that we pay a visit late this month."

Representatives of the Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom and the Bangladeshi government signed on May 13 a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the nuclear sphere. The key element of Bangladesh's nuclear program is the construction of the country's first nuclear power plant.

Bangladesh, which is badly short of energy, plans to build two reactors in the city of Ruppur.

The democratic government of Bangladesh formed in January intends to launch the country's first NPP in 2017. A project to build an NPP in Ruppur would require $1.5-2 billion, which could be given by the World Bank or other international financial organizations.