France eyes new areas of coop with Bangladesh, says envoy

French Ambassador in Bangladesh Marie-Annick Bourdin has said they will keep looking for new areas of cooperation and ways to further strengthen their relationship with Bangladesh, reports UNB.

"There's a lot more that Bangladesh and France, by itself or with its partners of the European Union, can do together for the benefit of our peoples," she said in a message on Saturday marking the French National Day.

Despite all difficulties, the Ambassador said, they continue to promote joint efforts to find a lasting solution, with support from the United Nations Secretary General and all UN Agencies.

She said their efforts will be based on the international norms of accountability and justice; and on the right for the Rohingyas who wish to return to Myanmar to do so in dignified, safe and sustainable conditions.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visited France in December 2017 and had very substantial discussions with the President Emmanuel Macron.

The French President expressed their gratitude for the generous hosting and protection granted by the people of Bangladesh to Rohingyas who were violently forced to flee their country since August 2017.

The President recalled France's determination at mobilising the Security Council, in response to what he has described since September 2017 as "ethnic cleansing", echoing the then High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The French envoy said their relationship with Bangladesh has many aspects-political, economic and cultural.

Ever since the Liberation War, in 1971, when the great French intellectual Andre; Malraux called for international support to the fight led by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the friendship ties between the two countries have grown stronger and denser, she said.

The French Embassy in Dhaka celebrated the French National Day, also known as Bastille Day, on Saturday.

Diplomats, political leaders, civil society representatives, educationists, journalists, noted artists, and fashion designers, among others, attended the reception held on the premises of Franco-German Embassy Residence De France at Gulshan.

France Ambassador in Dhaka Marie-Annick Bourdin spoke at the celebration wishing a stronger friendship between Bangladesh and France in the coming days.