Since February 1972, soon after France officially acknowledged Bangladesh as an impartial nation, both countries have been relishing an efficacious romantic relationship about the decades. In this course, 2023 has conjoined one more plethora of development in the bilateral rapport masking vast difficulties of geostrategic, financial, technological, and other applicable arenas. The year 2023, what’s more, has fashioned the prospective to arise as a breakthrough interval in bilateral relations amongst Bangladesh and France. In this respect, French President Emmanuel Macron’s substantial-profile September check out to Bangladesh has set the stage for elevated strategic cooperation in between two progressively aligned associates.
On the geopolitical entrance, both of those nations have reiterated a shared eyesight for a “free, open, peaceful and inclusive” Indo-Pacific area anchored in international liberal purchase. As Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina observed, ‘Deeper France-Bangladesh ties can inject favourable momentum toward this regulations-centered regional buy at a time of world wide flux.’ France’s geostrategic goals in the Indian Ocean and Bangladesh’s coastal spot possessing the spheres of impact in the Bay of Bengal make the two companions natural in guaranteeing maritime protection and regional steadiness. Also, with convergent priorities all around local weather motion, sustainable connectivity, top quality FDI inflows, and counterterrorism, there exists strong place for bilateral and multilateral cooperation that has been spurred in the 12 months 2023. France’s steadfast assistance for Bangladesh’s overseas coverage autonomy has also catalyzed partnerships upholding strategic balance throughout South Asia and the Indo-Pacific.
On the financial facet, with Bangladesh aiming for higher middle-profits status by 2031, France has conveyed potent interest in aiding its infrastructure and technology aims. The $three billion aviation deal with Airbus signed in 2023 reinforces widened business back links. The signed French support, immediately after Macron’s visit, in airports, local climate, and shipping and delivery sign extra vectors of gain-acquire cooperation suited for Bangladesh’s immediate expansion in developmental requirements. On the other hand, as democracies aligned on progressive values from secularism to local climate justice, further societal connections also underpin the relationship’s optimistic trajectory in 2023. France President Emmanuel Macron’s appreciation of Bangladesh’s economic miracle and developmental priorities highlights widening spheres of mutual being familiar with central to people today-centric regional and world wide integration.
With strong historical bonds, shared worldviews, and growing strategic and financial priorities, together with community heat fueling societal relations, 2023 has furnished a fertile ground for an elevated Bangladesh-France partnership that gave increase to a favourable modify throughout South Asia and further than.
Macron’s Take a look at and a New Acme of Bangladesh-France Bilateral Ties
Bangladesh-France bilateral rapport skilled a new pinnacle marking large progress in distinct aspects after and in advance of the breakthrough pay a visit to of Emmanuel Macron this 12 months. French President Emmanuel Macron relished an formal take a look at on September ten giving increase to a landmark stuffed with bilateral talks and agreements concerning the two countries. With this noteworthy pay a visit to, it is also apparent that the relationship amongst Dhaka and Paris is currently at its strongest level, with escalating financial ties and collaboration on critical difficulties such as aviation acquiring and climate motion.
Through Macron’s momentous September 2023 take a look at, Bangladesh and France took the bilateral relations to a new level by expressing to build a “strategic partnership for peace, prosperity, and folks.” The joint assertion, published following the bilateral summit, hinted at enhanced cooperation across several areas including local weather motion, sustainable advancement, trade, defence, technologies, lifestyle, and extra. The check out also focused on the growth of a reliable and significant partnership that promotes strategic autonomy, while also emphasizing shared democratic values and the marketing of aims pertaining to improvement. France consistently supports Bangladesh’s climate resilience endeavours, concentrating on spurring climate finance to support the eco-friendly transitions of producing nations. The two parties emphasized the want for a swift worldwide energy transition and expressed support for the progress produced at COP28 on local weather troubles. The joint statement claimed, “Bangladesh and France reiterate their fascination in growing bilateral trade and checking out potentials for long run investments.”
Even prior to Macron’s take a look at, Bertrand Lortholary, a senior French overseas ministry official traveling to Bangladesh in January 2023, emphasised France’s interest in maximizing cooperation with Dhaka throughout local weather, security, and economic realms. As he stated, France seeks “ever closer” collaboration with Indo-Pacific states, particularly Bangladesh, to deal with shared difficulties. Citing the “thriving romantic relationship,” and highlighting “the safety of maritime transport, site visitors of merchandise on the oceans, and the will need of tackling jointly unlawful fishing,” Lortholary observed deep alignment involving the two countries’ vision for a “free, open, peaceful” Indo-Pacific region.
Nevertheless, as equally Sheikh Hasina and Emmanuel Macron highlighted, this visit paved the way for enhanced connectivity involving France and Bangladesh. In the course of his speech, Macron explained the strengthened connection as “ushering in a new period of our longstanding partnership.” Provided the popular background and mutual pursuits in sustainability and democratic values, it appears that the two nations are nicely-positioned to collaborate strategically on each regional and worldwide issues even after 2023.
Financial, Trade, and Technological Ties in 2023
For the duration of French President Emmanuel Macron’s September 2023 visit to Bangladesh, the leaders of equally international locations expressed desire in strengthening bilateral trade and investment decision flows. As the joint assertion affirmed, France lauded Bangladesh’s financial potential clients and “willingness to more deepen and widen” financial partnership across sectors. During Macron’s take a look at, a Credit history Facility Agreement (MoU) was inked among the Financial Relations Division of Bangladesh and the France Improvement Agency of France for the ‘Improving Urban Governance and Infrastructure Programme’. Also, a important agreement experienced been attained involving Bangladesh Satellite Corporation Minimal and Airbus Defence and Place SAS, France, regarding the Bangabandhu-two Earth Observation Satellite Procedure.
Making on the 2018 start of Bangladesh’s initial communications satellite developed by France’s Thales Alenia Room, the refreshing area cooperation signifies widened bilateral area ties. It also highlights deepening financial hyperlinks with France across strategic large-technologies sectors outside of traditional partnerships in engineering and vitality. As for each stories, the around $200 million credit history line from France would guidance excellent infrastructure aligned with Bangladesh’s development eyesight. In the meantime, the satellite technology transfer pact aims to enhance Bangladesh’s impartial earth monitoring capabilities for improved crop forecasting and maritime area awareness. In accordance to Sheikh Hasina, France has restated its willingness to endorse trade with Bangladesh under the EU’s Generalized Scheme of Tastes Furthermore (GSP+) offering developing nations options to accomplish sustainable advancement along with great governance.
By the way, in a big aviation change in the course of Macron’s stop by, Bangladesh has agreed to order 10 Airbus A-350 widebody plane value over $3 billion—replacing Boeing as the provider for countrywide provider Biman’s lengthy-haul fleet upgrade. As for every Minister Mahbub Ali, while Biman’s existing 20-airplane fleet is absolutely Boeing, the Airbus order will be executed in phases starting up with two aircraft. Driving good financial development, Bangladesh aims to emerge as an higher middle-earnings economy by 2031 which really should spur air travel demand from customers. With the deal, Biman Bangladesh joins regional friends like Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific in opting for Airbus A-350s.
On top of that, at the inaugural Bangladesh-France expense summit in Paris in October 2023, French Ambassador Marie Masdupuy framed rising financial hyperlinks as crucial to cementing the strategic partnership in between each nations. Referring to President Emmanuel Macron’s September go to which elevated bilateral ties, she asked French companies to faucet into Bangladesh’s resilience and dynamism across precedence sectors. Noting robust existing partnerships in shipping, apparel, LPG and technological certifications, analysts see place for better private sector participation. Flagship collaborations in aviation, satellites and h2o treatment method showcase promising vectors of business cooperation concerning French expertise and Bangladesh’s improvement requirements.
Having said that, as briefed by the Élysée Palace, Macron’s journey has been aiming to speed up cooperation throughout nuclear ability, hydropower, aeronautics and other higher-probable sectors in which France boasts specialized abilities that can assist Bangladesh’s enhancement eyesight. As the Élysée official affirmed, “Bangladesh can come to be 1 of the 30 biggest economies in the planet by 2030 and is looking to the rest of the earth.” By the way, around time, the bilateral trade concerning France and Bangladesh has seasoned a remarkable surge considering the fact that the nineties, with the overall trade quantity skyrocketing from €210M to an spectacular €4.9 billion by 2023. This significant raise in trade has positioned France as the fifth-greatest desired destination for exports from Bangladesh. By backing Bangladesh’s strategic autonomy and showcasing its economic likely to hit $1 trillion in GDP by 2041, France aims for substantial bilateral and regional impacts.
Geopolitical and Geostrategic Cooperation
The Bangladesh-France bilateral rapport in 2023 has also experienced Emmanuel Macron’s high-stakes Bangladesh pay a visit to aiming to translate France’s resident power position in the Indo-Pacific into substantive ties with the region’s pivotal actors. Beyond inking economic offers, Macron doubled down on strategic messaging—presenting France as an substitute associate for Asian nations amid escalating US-China rivalry. As Macron affirmed, Bangladesh is a key goal for advanced cooperation offered its annual 7% growth, demographic heft and increasing world wide management on difficulties like local climate vulnerability. Primary Minister Sheikh Hasina observed deep alignment with Macron’s thrust for “strategic autonomy” across the Indo-Pacific built on cooperation, not coercion.
With France also elevating ties with regional heavyweights like India, the phase looks set for synergistic partnerships upholding steadiness. “Based on democratic ideas and the rule of regulation, in a location struggling with new imperialism, we want to suggest a third way. All our approach is centered on strengthening the independence and the strategic autonomy of our good friends to give them the ‘freedom of sovereignty’,” Emmanuel Macron famous. In the joint push briefing with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, he conveyed comprehensive endorsement of Dhaka’s self-reliant trajectory backed by robust economic fundamentals and democratic continuity.
Cooperation in Local climate Improve
In a individual dialogue with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during his September pay a visit to, Emmanuel Macron extended an provide of assist from France to Bangladesh to cooperate on an energy transition. France, along with other European nations, has now undertaken very similar endeavours with different developing countries, which includes South Africa and Indonesia. In these cases, France has allotted hundreds of hundreds of thousands of euros to facilitate the change of these nations from economies reliant on fossil fuels to economies centred all around renewable energy sources. Furthermore, Macron extended an invitation to Bangladesh to turn into a member of the International Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF), a newly founded initiative aimed at supporting the preservation of earthly and aquatic species in various countries.
In addition, in December 2023, France introduced its motivation to signing a offer with Bangladesh to offer economic guidance for local weather change adaptation and addressing problems and loss. In a major transfer, the French Advancement Agency has fully commited a considerable financial commitment of €1 billion ($1.one billion), when the IMF is expected to provide $one billion truly worth of exclusive drawing legal rights (SDRs) for more loans. In this regard, Macron emphasized the value of these countries attaining obtain to ground breaking environmentally welcoming systems, now viewed as the driving drive behind financial growth.
Long term Directions
Aside from geopolitical and economic developments, France has pledged to consider motion on the Rohingya genocide circumstance submitted with the Intercontinental Courtroom of Justice, as stated in the joint statement during Macron’s pay a visit to.
Nonetheless, as 2023 ended, the noticeably elevated Bangladesh-France partnership throughout economic, weather, strategic and societal realms seem to be poised for an even brighter long run. Setting up on the momentum from President Macron’s breakthrough September visit, the two nations can further synergy on high quality infrastructure, space tech transfers, thoroughly clean electricity transitions and maritime stability. With France backing Bangladesh’s regional leadership across weather justice and immigration concerns, additional collective initiatives upholding sustainability and human rights beckon.
Furthermore, with the strategic autonomy vision significantly binding equally associates, 2024 and onward could witness significant Bangladesh-France joint ventures in satellites, port connectivity, local climate resilience and defence tech. As Key Minister Sheikh Hasina affirmed, over and above transactions, it is the “trust and confidence” anchoring relations that bode well for this consequential cooperation in between two leading Indo-Pacific democracies. No matter whether spurring regional steadiness or showcasing inspirational weather leadership to the globe, far more heritage-generating Bangladesh-France collaboration seemingly lies ahead.
[Photo by Prime Minister’s Office of Bangladesh/Handout via Reuters]
The views and viewpoints expressed in this article are these of the author.
Kawsar Uddin Mahmud is a Study Intern at the KRF Centre for Bangladesh and International Affairs.
