PM’s France visit to elevate Dhaka-Paris ties: FM

October 30, 2021

PBC News: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will pay a visit to Paris, France from November 9 to 13 which Dhaka says will be a very “extensive and engaging” one and take the relations between the two countries to a newer height.

She will have bilateral meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Jean Castex separately during the visit, reports UNB.

“Both the French President and the Prime Minister invited our Prime Minister to visit France,” Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen told reporters at a media briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam said the Prime Minister’s engagement in Paris will be very extensive and she will be given guard of honour in three places.

He said many French companies want to invest in Bangladesh and there is interest from both sides to boost export and import to strengthen the trade relations.

Shahriar highlighted the growing relations between Bangladesh and the European countries mentioning that there had been bilateral visits in Italy, Germany and Mexico in the recent past.

Unesco’s 75th birthday has further increased the importance of the Prime Minister’s visit to Paris, said the State Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Asked about the bilateral documents likely to be signed during the visit, the State Minister said they do not want to make a comment on that at this moment as they are still working on those issues. “You know negotiation goes on even at the last moment, let’s wait a bit.”

Dr Momen said French Ministers and lawmakers are likely to meet the Prime Minister during her visit.

He said the chiefs of many French companies and a delegation of the MEDEF (the Mouvement des entreprises de France, or the Movement of the Enterprises of France, is the largest employer federation in France) want to meet the Prime Minister.

“We’re expecting that the visit will take the relations to a newer height,” Dr Momen said, adding that a memorandum of understanding and a letter of intent are likely to be signed to that end.

Unesco-Bangabandhu Prize

The Foreign Minister said Prime Minister Hasina is expected to hand over the “Unesco-Bangladesh Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman International Prize for the Creative Economy” to the winner on November 11. “It’s matter of pride for the entire nation.”