Since February 1972, right after France formally acknowledged Bangladesh as an independent country, the two countries have been relishing an efficacious partnership in excess of the many years. In this system, 2023 has conjoined a different plethora of progress in the bilateral rapport covering extensive issues of geostrategic, economic, technological, and other appropriate arenas. The yr 2023, also, has fashioned the possible to emerge as a breakthrough time period in bilateral relations amongst Bangladesh and France. In this respect, French President Emmanuel Macron’s high-profile September pay a visit to to Bangladesh has established the phase for elevated strategic cooperation among two significantly aligned companions.
On the geopolitical entrance, equally nations have reiterated a shared vision for a “free, open up, peaceful and inclusive” Indo-Pacific area anchored in worldwide liberal buy. As Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina pointed out, ‘Deeper France-Bangladesh ties can inject optimistic momentum in the direction of this guidelines-based regional get at a time of world flux.’ France’s geostrategic objectives in the Indian Ocean and Bangladesh’s coastal area possessing the spheres of impact in the Bay of Bengal make the two companions natural in guaranteeing maritime protection and regional steadiness. Moreover, with convergent priorities about local weather motion, sustainable connectivity, high quality FDI inflows, and counterterrorism, there exists sturdy room for bilateral and multilateral cooperation that has been spurred in the 12 months 2023. France’s steadfast aid for Bangladesh’s international coverage autonomy has also catalyzed partnerships upholding strategic security throughout South Asia and the Indo-Pacific.
On the economic facet, with Bangladesh aiming for higher center-cash flow position by 2031, France has conveyed strong curiosity in aiding its infrastructure and technologies aims. The $3 billion aviation deal with Airbus signed in 2023 reinforces widened industrial one-way links. The signed French help, just after Macron’s go to, in airports, weather, and shipping signal supplemental vectors of earn-acquire cooperation suited for Bangladesh’s quick expansion in developmental requires. Nevertheless, as democracies aligned on progressive values from secularism to weather justice, further societal connections also underpin the relationship’s good trajectory in 2023. France President Emmanuel Macron’s appreciation of Bangladesh’s economic wonder and developmental priorities highlights widening spheres of mutual understanding central to people today-centric regional and global integration.
With strong historical bonds, shared worldviews, and increasing strategic and financial priorities, alongside community heat fueling societal relations, 2023 has presented a fertile ground for an elevated Bangladesh-France partnership that gave increase to a constructive alter across South Asia and past.
Macron’s Take a look at and a New Acme of Bangladesh-France Bilateral Ties
Bangladesh-France bilateral rapport professional a new pinnacle marking vast development in diverse areas following and ahead of the breakthrough go to of Emmanuel Macron this year. French President Emmanuel Macron relished an official check out on September 10 supplying rise to a landmark filled with bilateral talks and agreements concerning the two countries. With this noteworthy pay a visit to, it is also evident that the relationship in between Dhaka and Paris is at present at its strongest point, with rising economic ties and collaboration on essential issues such as aviation buying and weather action.
All through Macron’s momentous September 2023 pay a visit to, Bangladesh and France took the bilateral relations to a new level by expressing to establish a “strategic partnership for peace, prosperity, and people today.” The joint assertion, published after the bilateral summit, hinted at enhanced cooperation across numerous locations together with climate action, sustainable advancement, trade, defence, technological know-how, society, and a lot more. The stop by also focused on the growth of a trustworthy and significant marriage that encourages strategic autonomy, though also emphasizing shared democratic values and the promotion of aims concerning growth. France persistently supports Bangladesh’s local climate resilience attempts, focusing on spurring local weather finance to aid the inexperienced transitions of establishing nations. Both of those parties emphasized the have to have for a swift international energy transition and expressed assistance for the development manufactured at COP28 on climate difficulties. The joint assertion claimed, “Bangladesh and France reiterate their interest in increasing bilateral trade and checking out potentials for foreseeable future investments.”
Even just before Macron’s visit, Bertrand Lortholary, a senior French foreign ministry official viewing Bangladesh in January 2023, emphasized France’s curiosity in enhancing cooperation with Dhaka throughout weather, security, and financial realms. As he mentioned, France seeks “ever closer” collaboration with Indo-Pacific states, particularly Bangladesh, to deal with shared problems. Citing the “thriving romantic relationship,” and highlighting “the protection of maritime transportation, targeted traffic of merchandise on the oceans, and the require of tackling with each other unlawful fishing,” Lortholary pointed out deep alignment involving the two countries’ eyesight for a “free, open, peaceful” Indo-Pacific region.
However, as each Sheikh Hasina and Emmanuel Macron highlighted, this pay a visit to paved the way for improved connectivity among France and Bangladesh. During his speech, Macron explained the strengthened romantic relationship as “ushering in a new period of our longstanding partnership.” Given the popular record and mutual pursuits in sustainability and democratic values, it appears that the two international locations are perfectly-positioned to collaborate strategically on the two regional and international issues even soon after 2023.
Economic, Trade, and Technological Ties in 2023
Through French President Emmanuel Macron’s September 2023 stop by to Bangladesh, the leaders of each countries expressed desire in strengthening bilateral trade and investment decision flows. As the joint statement affirmed, France lauded Bangladesh’s economic potential clients and “willingness to further deepen and widen” economic partnership across sectors. Throughout Macron’s stop by, a Credit score Facility Arrangement (MoU) was inked between the Financial Relations Division of Bangladesh and the France Progress Agency of France for the ‘Improving City Governance and Infrastructure Programme’. Also, a significant agreement experienced been achieved amongst Bangladesh Satellite Corporation Restricted and Airbus Defence and House SAS, France, concerning the Bangabandhu-two Earth Observation Satellite Technique.
Making on the 2018 start of Bangladesh’s 1st communications satellite developed by France’s Thales Alenia Space, the fresh new space cooperation signifies widened bilateral space ties. It also highlights deepening economic one-way links with France throughout strategic large-technologies sectors outside of common partnerships in engineering and energy. As per reviews, the approximately $200 million credit score line from France would guidance high quality infrastructure aligned with Bangladesh’s growth eyesight. Meanwhile, the satellite know-how transfer pact aims to increase Bangladesh’s impartial earth monitoring capabilities for enhanced crop forecasting and maritime area awareness. In accordance to Sheikh Hasina, France has restated its willingness to boost trade with Bangladesh under the EU’s Generalized Scheme of Tastes Moreover (GSP+) offering developing nations alternatives to obtain sustainable enhancement together with good governance.
By the way, in a major aviation shift during Macron’s take a look at, Bangladesh has agreed to obtain ten Airbus A-350 widebody plane worthy of about $3 billion—replacing Boeing as the provider for nationwide carrier Biman’s very long-haul fleet update. As for each Minister Mahbub Ali, while Biman’s present 20-plane fleet is absolutely Boeing, the Airbus buy will be executed in phases starting up with two plane. Driving strong economic progress, Bangladesh aims to arise as an upper center-cash flow financial state by 2031 which should really spur air vacation desire. With the offer, Biman Bangladesh joins regional peers like Singapore Airways and Cathay Pacific in opting for Airbus A-350s.
On top of that, at the inaugural Bangladesh-France financial commitment summit in Paris in October 2023, French Ambassador Marie Masdupuy framed developing economic hyperlinks as vital to cementing the strategic partnership in between each nations. Referring to President Emmanuel Macron’s September go to which elevated bilateral ties, she questioned French firms to tap into Bangladesh’s resilience and dynamism across precedence sectors. Noting robust current partnerships in delivery, attire, LPG and technological certifications, analysts see area for higher personal sector participation. Flagship collaborations in aviation, satellites and h2o treatment method showcase promising vectors of business cooperation involving French skills and Bangladesh’s development requires.
On the other hand, as briefed by the Élysée Palace, Macron’s vacation has been aiming to accelerate cooperation throughout nuclear ability, hydropower, aeronautics and other high-probable sectors exactly where France offers specialised abilities that can help Bangladesh’s improvement vision. As the Élysée formal affirmed, “Bangladesh can become just one of the thirty largest economies in the planet by 2030 and is searching to the rest of the earth.” By the way, around time, the bilateral trade between France and Bangladesh has seasoned a outstanding surge since the nineteen nineties, with the over-all trade quantity skyrocketing from €210M to an impressive €4.9 billion by 2023. This major boost in trade has positioned France as the fifth-premier destination for exports from Bangladesh. By backing Bangladesh’s strategic autonomy and showcasing its economic prospective to strike $1 trillion in GDP by 2041, France aims for significant bilateral and regional impacts.
Geopolitical and Geostrategic Cooperation
The Bangladesh-France bilateral rapport in 2023 has also knowledgeable Emmanuel Macron’s high-stakes Bangladesh check out aiming to translate France’s resident electricity standing in the Indo-Pacific into substantive ties with the region’s pivotal actors. Further than inking economic offers, Macron doubled down on strategic messaging—presenting France as an option partner for Asian nations amid escalating US-China rivalry. As Macron affirmed, Bangladesh is a primary goal for highly developed cooperation offered its yearly 7% growth, demographic heft and escalating worldwide leadership on concerns like local climate vulnerability. Primary Minister Sheikh Hasina observed deep alignment with Macron’s drive for “strategic autonomy” throughout the Indo-Pacific developed on cooperation, not coercion.
With France also elevating ties with regional heavyweights like India, the phase appears established for synergistic partnerships upholding balance. “Based on democratic principles and the rule of law, in a location facing new imperialism, we want to propose a 3rd way. All our system is centered on strengthening the independence and the strategic autonomy of our mates to give them the ‘freedom of sovereignty’,” Emmanuel Macron pointed out. In the joint press briefing with Primary Minister Sheikh Hasina, he conveyed total endorsement of Dhaka’s self-reliant trajectory backed by strong economic fundamentals and democratic continuity.
Cooperation in Local climate Modify
In a private dialogue with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during his September pay a visit to, Emmanuel Macron extended an give of support from France to Bangladesh to cooperate on an electricity transition. France, alongside with other European nations, has presently undertaken comparable endeavours with a variety of establishing countries, including South Africa and Indonesia. In these circumstances, France has allocated hundreds of millions of euros to facilitate the modify of these nations from economies reliant on fossil fuels to economies centred about renewable electrical power resources. Also, Macron extended an invitation to Bangladesh to turn into a member of the Worldwide Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF), a freshly established initiative aimed at supporting the preservation of earthly and aquatic species in various countries.
In addition, in December 2023, France announced its dedication to signing a deal with Bangladesh to offer financial support for local weather change adaptation and addressing destruction and decline. In a substantial move, the French Development Agency has dedicated a sizeable financial commitment of €1 billion ($1.1 billion), while the IMF is expected to provide $1 billion worthy of of distinctive drawing legal rights (SDRs) for more financial loans. In this regard, Macron emphasized the value of these nations around the world attaining accessibility to revolutionary environmentally helpful systems, now deemed the driving pressure driving economic expansion.
Foreseeable future Directions
Aside from geopolitical and financial developments, France has pledged to choose motion on the Rohingya genocide circumstance submitted with the Global Court docket of Justice, as said in the joint statement during Macron’s go to.
Nevertheless, as 2023 finished, the drastically elevated Bangladesh-France partnership across financial, weather, strategic and societal realms appear to be poised for an even brighter potential. Constructing on the momentum from President Macron’s breakthrough September check out, both nations can even further synergy on good quality infrastructure, place tech transfers, clean up vitality transitions and maritime safety. With France backing Bangladesh’s regional leadership across local climate justice and immigration difficulties, a lot more collective initiatives upholding sustainability and human rights beckon.
Additionally, with the strategic autonomy vision progressively binding each partners, 2024 and onward could witness major Bangladesh-France joint ventures in satellites, port connectivity, climate resilience and defence tech. As Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina affirmed, outside of transactions, it is the “trust and confidence” anchoring relations that bode nicely for this consequential cooperation involving two top Indo-Pacific democracies. Regardless of whether spurring regional steadiness or showcasing inspirational climate management to the globe, more heritage-building Bangladesh-France collaboration seemingly lies in advance.
[Photo by Prime Minister’s Office of Bangladesh/Handout via Reuters]
The views and viewpoints expressed in this report are people of the author.
Kawsar Uddin Mahmud is a Exploration Intern at the KRF Center for Bangladesh and International Affairs.
