UPDATE 2 - Macron lands in Dhaka, 1st French president to visit Bangladesh since 1990

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By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) – French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday landed in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, the first such visit from France in the last 33 years, to further intensify the trade and diplomatic relations.

Earlier, former French President Francois Mitterrand visited Bangladesh in 1990.

After attending the G-20 summit in New Delhi, India, Macron landed at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the evening where Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her Cabinet members, and other high officials received him.

Both leaders are scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting on Monday morning local time at Prime Minister Hasina’s office in Dhaka. They are expected to sign two bilateral agreements and hold a joint press briefing there, according to the Bangladeshi Foreign Ministry.

Sheikh Hasina Sunday night hosted a banquet in honor of Macron in Dhaka, state news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha reported.

The premier said bilateral relations between Bangladesh and France would reach the level of a strategic partnership.

“I am confident that our bilateral relations can move to strategic engagements for the shared prosperity of all in the Indo-Pacific and beyond,” she said.

The total trade between Bangladesh and France soared from €210 million ($225 million) in the early 1990s to €4.9 billion ($5.2 billion) now with France being the 5th country for Bangladeshi exports, said the French mission in Dhaka ahead of the visit.

Macron's visit will be the occasion to concretize some projects and boost further economic relations, it said about the visit.

French companies are now involved in various sectors in Bangladesh, including engineering, energy, aerospace, and water sectors.

As Bangladesh is one of the worst victims of climate effects and floods, Paris said this visit underlined France's commitment to development aid and international cooperation in the fight against flooding that was hitting Bangladesh.

Climate is a key focus of France's cooperation with Bangladesh, said the French Embassy, adding that Macron's visit would “bring a new dynamic into this commitment.”