French President Emmanuel Macron is to make a short visit to Bangladesh this week to discuss bilateral and regional issues, the French Embassy in Dhaka said on Tuesday.
The embassy, in a statement posted on its website, said Macron would arrive in Bangladesh on Sep 10 after attending the G20 Summit in neighboring India.
“In Bangladesh, the President of the French Republic will continue to implement France’s strategy in the Indo-Pacific region, after having welcomed Prime Minister Modi in Paris this summer, and visited Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, and Sri Lanka,” the embassy said.
“It will also be an opportunity to deepen our bilateral relationship with a country that is undergoing rapid economic development, with France’s support, and is seeking to diversify its partnerships,” it added.
France is a major export destination for Bangladesh. The Asian country exported goods, mostly readymade garment items, worth $3.29 billion between July 2022 and June 2023, according to Bangladesh’s Export Promotion Bureau.
France’s exports to Bangladesh were $254.32 million during 2022, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade.
The French embassy in Dhaka said the two countries also share a great commonality of views when it comes to global challenges, particularly with regard to the Paris Agenda for People and the Planet, which Bangladesh actively supports.
“Bangladesh being particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate disruption, President Macron will reiterate France’s determination to stand by its side on the humanitarian front, particularly given the regular flooding the country faces,” it said.
The French authorities also lauded Bangladesh as a major contributor to international solidarity efforts for its participation in United Nations peacekeeping operations and hosting Rohingya refugees.
Macron, who is expected to hold a meeting with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during his stay in Bangladesh, is the first French president to visit the country in over three decades since François Mitterrand in 1990.
Before arriving in Bangladesh, Macron is expected to visit the Indian capital, New Delhi, to attend the G20 Summit on Sep 9 and 10.
Source: La Prensa Latina