French President Emmanuel Macron will stop by Dhaka on Sept. ten, pursuing his attendance at the G20 summit in New Delhi. This go to will be the initial by a French President to Bangladesh in the previous 3 a long time, with the previous check out by former President Mitterrand occurring from Feb. 22 to 24, 1990.
On Sept. five, 2023, the French Embassy declared that the President of the French Republic will keep on to carry out France’s method in the Indo-Pacific location. This visit presents an prospect to bolster the bilateral partnership with a nation undergoing speedy financial improvement, with France’s assist, and in search of to diversify its global partnerships.
Bangladesh and France share widespread views on world challenges, notably with regard to the Paris Agenda for Men and women and the Planet, which Bangladesh actively endorses. Given Bangladesh’s heightened vulnerability to the impacts of weather disruption, President Macron will reaffirm France’s determination to supporting the place, particularly in gentle of its recurrent flooding troubles. Furthermore, Bangladesh plays a sizeable function in worldwide solidarity initiatives, each by means of its participation in peacekeeping operations and in supplying shelter to Rohingya refugees.
French embassy also twitted with regards to their financial investment in Bangladesh, mentioning “The combat from #climatechange is one of our priorities. In BD, this desire goes by means of the motion of, @AFD_France which has just about tripled its once-a-year commitments about the final five yrs. The future check out of @EmmanuelMacron will convey a new dynamic into this determination.” The tweet from the French Embassy evidently highlights their dedication to addressing local climate change as a major precedence in their bilateral romantic relationship with Bangladesh, emphasizing the job of AFD and hinting at amplified collaboration and expenditure in this crucial place for the duration of President Macron’s future pay a visit to.
In the context of the Russia-Ukraine war and the future national election in Bangladesh, diplomatic analysts deem the visits of politicians from two pivotal nations as major.
France is presently directing its target towards improving relations with nations in the Indo-Pacific location, with Bangladesh holding a pivotal posture in this geographical context. In modern decades, France-Bangladesh relations have skilled a significant upswing, characterized by a noteworthy increase in bilateral trade, which at the moment stands at over a few billion Euros. In June 2023, French envoy invited Bangladeshi firms to spend there.
In early July of this 12 months, a French Navy vessel performed a goodwill pay a visit to to Chattogram and participated in a joint exercise together with the Bangladesh Navy. This check out was accompanied by a assertion from the French Ambassador to Bangladesh, Marie Masdupuy, who emphasized that the ship’s existence underscores France’s political devotion to backing Bangladesh. It also acknowledges Bangladesh’s strategic importance within just the broader Indian Ocean region.
France Demands New Allies
France is in have to have of forging sturdy ties with Bangladesh as it seeks to establish new alliances, significantly in light of its diminishing influence in African international locations that were being previously its colonies or allies. Pursuing the situation in Niger in July 2023, Gabon expert a comparable crisis, with President Ali Bongo currently being detained in the really presidential palace that French President Emmanuel Macron experienced visited just 6 months prior. This marks the eighth military services coup in a former French colony in just the previous three decades.
The collection of coups has been propelled by the escalating anti-French sentiment, a sentiment that Russia has eagerly seized upon and leveraged for its own strategic interests. Resentment to colonial rule has grow to be increasingly obvious as the East-West geopolitical rivalry has exacerbated preexisting tensions. Many international locations are discovering them selves compelled to align with a person facet or the other. For most African nations, the choice is fairly straightforward. Notably, Russia stands out as a person of the several international locations that in no way proven colonies in Africa. On top of that, Russia actively supported different independence actions for the duration of the Cold War period, which has contributed to the development of present-working day governments in a lot of African international locations.
In April, when French president frequented 4 African nations, he was greeted by protests exterior the local French embassy denouncing French colonialism, and he even obtained roasted on reside Tv by Felix Tshisekedi, the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
As a end result, the impending participation of the French President in the G-twenty summit is anticipated to be pivotal, as it will give an prospect to fortify relationships with both India and Bangladesh. This endeavor will entail improved expenditure aimed at nurturing these enhanced ties. Outside of the realms of economic cooperation, things to consider of weather adjust and stability, France is dedicated to reinforcing its relationship with Bangladesh. This determination is grounded in the broader context of the Indo-Pacific region’s ascendancy as a central target in world-wide geopolitics. Offered France’s pivotal position in the Indian Ocean, there is a concerted hard work to increase its existence and affect in this strategically important area. Bangladesh’s geographic location together the Bay of Bengal further more emphasizes its importance as a important associate in advancing France’s strategic objectives inside the Indo-Pacific.
Future Election of Bangladesh
Bangladesh’s upcoming election stands as an challenge of paramount importance in the existing context. The expected election date is set for January 2024. Around three months before this pivotal celebration, the French President, a important ally of the United States, is scheduled to stop by Bangladesh. Therefore, conversations revolving all around the concepts of a no cost, fair, and credible election are expected to consider place. It deserving to point out that, the opposition functions in Bangladesh have been demanding for PM’s resignation, new interim governing administration for conducting absolutely free and good election.
Notably, the romance between Bangladesh and the United States has strained in modern periods, generally because of to worries bordering the electoral system. The United States has taken actions such as imposing sanctions on men and women included in human rights abuses, which notably include the Fast Motion Battalion (RAB), a specialised safety drive unit in Bangladesh. The imposition of sanctions has been seen as a mechanism to keep accountable all those liable for this sort of abuses in just Bangladesh. However, it is really worth noting that Bangladesh’s international coverage orientation has exhibited a discernible tilt towards the China-Russia alliance. This inclination is mirrored in the country’s pursuit of closer ties with these nations, even though first conversations with regards to Bangladesh’s likely membership in BRICS did not come to fruition.
In addition, there have been allegations that Dr. Mohammad Yunus, a Nobel laureate from Bangladesh, is facing harassment by the existing ruling bash government. The United Nations human rights human body has voiced its worries relating to the ongoing harassment and detention of human rights defenders in Bangladesh. This includes notable figures these kinds of as Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus and leaders of the properly-recognised human rights business Odhikar. In August 2023, an open letter signed by more than one hundred seventy international leaders, together with additional than one hundred Nobel laureates, was dealt with to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The letter demanded an immediate halt to the ongoing judicial proceedings.
The fact remains that, Dr. Yunus maintains a strong connection with France. In 2011, when he was taken out from his position at the Grameen Bank, France expressed profound problem. President Sarkozy publicly conveyed his unwavering guidance for Professor Yunus in a letter disseminated to the French press by Friends of Grameen, a voluntary group founded to encourage the microcredit initiatives of the bank and its affiliated establishments. The President articulated that the establishment of the Grameen Bank represented “an audacious initiative” and continued to provide as an enduring supply of inspiration for the worldwide group.
In addition, President Sarkozy acknowledged the worries Dr. Yunus was confronting at that individual juncture and expressed his assurance that the establishments inside Bangladesh would ultimately achieve a just resolution. He affirmed the determination of the French govt to intently monitor the problem and to have interaction with Bangladeshi authorities in addressing this matter in the ensuing days.
Consequently, it is apparent that discussions concerning the Nobel laureate will be a popular matter of conversation in the course of the upcoming assembly. It can be predicted that the President will ask for the Bangladeshi Key Minister to just take concrete actions toward acquiring a just resolution to the challenges faced by Dr. Yunus.
Thus, the French President’s take a look at to Bangladesh holds strategic importance in strengthening Indo-Pacific ties, addressing world issues like local weather adjust and protection, and navigating evolving geopolitical dynamics. The visit will also address fears in excess of Bangladesh’s forthcoming election and Nobel laureate Dr. Mohammad Yunus’ alleged harassment. The visit’s final result will form bilateral relations and regional dynamics.
[Photo by European Commission, via Wikimedia]
The sights and thoughts expressed in this report are those people of the writer.
The author is a Research Assistant at the Centre for Advanced Social Analysis, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
