French Ambassador in Dhaka Jean-Marin Schuh on Tuesday said that they would support Bangladesh in the national vaccination campaign.
An agreement in this regard would be signed ‘soon’, he said while speaking at the French National Day celebration.
He assured all that he would “continue to play an active part to further strengthen the friendly relations between our two countries”.
“We have all endured a challenging year. But alongside the suffering and the loss, we have seen immense compassion, care, and courage,” he said.Despite pandemic lockdown, France signed a grant agreement of 12 million euros last month to support advanced digital solutions in the power and energy sector in Bangladesh. Through this project, 1,141,000 people will benefit from a significant improvement in the quality of electricity service.
“It will also prevent an accumulated 104,000 tons of CO2 emissions per year, thereby contributing to Bangladesh’s climate goals,” said the ambassador.
“In the meantime, welcoming the important efforts you are making to provide the best assistance for the Rohingya populations who have taken refuge in Bangladesh, France will continue to mobilize the international community to allow them a voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return to Myanmar, their country of origin,” he said.
The economic relations between Bangladesh and France have been affected in 2020 by the pandemic of Covid-19.
Last year, the bilateral trade contracted for the first time in years and came down to EUR 2.76 billion, showing a decrease of -15% compared to 2019.
Fueled mainly by the RMG sector and some leather products, which represent 98% of French imports from Bangladesh, the total value of imports decreased by 15% in a year to reach EUR 2.52 billion in 2020.
However, France remains one of Bangladesh’s largest export markets, and its third customer in the European Union, all products considered.
Unfortunately, French exports to Bangladesh decreased by 12% compared to 2019, amounting to EUR 238 million.
French exports are boosted by electrical machinery and industrial equipment, such as gas turbines and equipment manufactured by GENERAL ELECTRIC in Belfort, France.
Consequently, the bilateral deficit, which registered a threefold increase in the last ten years, came down to EUR 2.23 billion last year.
To reduce the huge trade deficit we are facing, France is eager to put its world acclaimed know-how and experience at the service of Bangladesh and its people, especially in the sectors where the companies’ excellence is proven worldwide.
The French National Day is the celebration of the storming of the Bastille, the prison in which the kings of France incarcerated whoever they wanted, whenever they wanted, for as long as they wanted. More than the commemoration of the fall of a fortress, the 14th of July marks the triumph of the French Revolution and its ideals which became the foundation of the French Republic: liberty, equality and fraternity.
“Bangladesh is a country where these words also have a deep resonance and a profound meaning. Both our countries are strongly attached to these ideals,” said the Ambassador.
“The pandemic calls for a strong coordinated international response, recognising extensive immunisation as a global public good that must be available and affordable for all. With each person vaccinated, we move closer to the day when people can meet each other, hug each other, and celebrate again,” he said. “Bangladesh celebrated last year the hundredth anniversary of the birth of the Father of the Nation, and this year the fiftieth anniversary of its birth as a nation.
I would like to recall the warm friendship that has existed between our two countries and their leaders, ever since the Liberation War in 1971, when André Malraux supported the fight led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The success of our cooperation in the fields of environment, energy and transport but also in culture and education has strengthened our common vision and opened new areas of work such as blue economy, maritime security and defense,” said the ambassador.
