by Staff Correspondent, Dhaka – The friendly ties between Bangladesh and France have reached to new dimensions as the visiting French president Emmanuel Macron supported Bangladesh’s policy independence in the contest of geopolitical instability and economic uncertainty, mostly emanating from the war on Ukraine.  

“Today is a historic day in our bilateral relationship between France and Bangladesh which has been evolving for more than five decades, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told a joint news conference after a bilateral meeting with the French president in Dhaka on Monday.

Macron arrived in Dhaka from New Delhi on a short visit to Bangladesh on Sunday after attending the G-20 summit in India.

During his less than 24-hour stay in Dhaka, the French president joined a number of events that included visiting a folk musician, embarking on an unscheduled river cruise and paying homage to the portrait of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, beside the official talks.    

Bangladeshi Prime Minister and the French president also witnessed the signing of two deals – one for launching of Bangladesh’s second satellite into the space and other for the infrastructure development – after the official meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office in Dhaka.

Hasina said she had fruitful discussions with President Macron on the entire spectrum bilateral matters in a very cordial setting.

France expressed its reverence and support to Bangladesh’s sovereign policy independence, particularly in the context of the ongoing geopolitical instability and economic uncertainty, she said.

“We both hope that this new strategic move between Bangladesh and France will play an effective role in establishing regional and global stability and peace,” she added.

She continued: “The government of France has expressed its satisfaction with the responsible and committed activities of the Government of Bangladesh in protecting the fundamental and human rights of its people.”

The confidence of the French government in the spectacular and consistent progress of the Bangladesh’s economy was greatly appreciated as well, she added.

The premier said France reiterated commitment to standing by Bangladesh people and government in the implementation of Vision-2041 by continuing privileges for Bangladesh to the trade facilitation of the European Union under GSP+ scheme.

Hasina expressed gratitude to the French government and people.

In the talks, she said, they had detailed discussions aimed at advancing the bilateral relations between the two countries.

“We were able to reach some consensus,” she said adding that France has assured Bangladesh of continued cooperation in infrastructure development.

They also expressed their interest in providing advanced and specialized technical assistance in building Bangladesh’s strategic security infrastructure, she said.

As leading and responsible resident powers in the Asia and Pacific, Bangladesh and France will act to ensure geopolitical stability of the region, she also said.

“We welcome France’s leadership in combating the negative effects of climate change and laud President Macron’s call for establishing a sustainable fund,” she continued.

There have been effective discussions on educational, cultural and linguistic exchanges in the meeting, she said.

newsnextbd.com/n