Bangladesh and France held the first-ever Bilateral Political Consultations on Thursday in Dhaka.

The two friendly countries celebrated the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2022, and the launching of the Bilateral Political Consultations will serve as a hallmark of their friendship.

The Bangladesh delegation at the Consultations was led by Kazi Russel Pervez, Director General (West Europe and European Union), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while the French delegation was led by Bertrand Lortholary, Director for Asian Affairs of the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, said a joint statement issued after the consultation, reports Daily Sun.  

Ambassador of France to Bangladesh, Marie Masdupuy and representatives from different Ministries of the Government of Bangladesh also joined the Consultations.

During the Consultations, both Bangladesh and France affirmed their commitment to extend cooperation in the areas of political relations, development cooperation, trade and investment, defence cooperation, cooperation in science and technology including ICT and agriculture, cultural cooperation and cooperation in archaeology, cooperation in diplomatic training in France, exchange programme between diplomatic training academies, consular cooperation, etc.

They reasserted their will to build up key partnership in the fields of aviation, space and aerospace technology.

Both sides also shared their views on various regional and international issues, including the voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return of the forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals, cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, cybercrime, counter-terrorism and violent extremism, etc.

They had an extensive exchange of views on the war in Ukraine and reaffirmed their paramount attachments to the principles enshrined in the UN Charter, including territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Both sides recognized the absolute priority of addressing climate change related issues in their bilateral cooperation as well as in multilateral fora.

The two sides highlighted the importance of enhancing bilateral trade and exchanging business delegation.

The Bangladesh side invited France to enhance investment in Bangladesh, particularly in food and agro-processing, advanced manufacturing, consumer electronics, automotive, leather, and pharmaceuticals.

The two sides discussed potentials for deepening cooperation in research and development, especially in medical and environmental sciences.

Both sides also acknowledged the prospects for strengthening cooperation in aviation security and maritime domain awareness.

The French side assured of appropriate considerationwith EU institutions and facility beyond 2029 under the EU's new GSP Regulation, in conjunction to support Bangladesh's bid for a GSP+ Member States. Both Bangladesh and France acknowledged the value of sustained and substantive cooperation in relevant regional and multilateral fora, including the UN, ASEAN Regional Forum, and IORA.

Bd-pratidin English/Golam Rosul