Bangladesh committed to ordering 10 aircraft from Airbus in the country's first deal with the French company in what is seen as a shift from its Boeing-dominated fleet.
The planned airbus deal is among cooperation accords inclusive of defence and Indo-Pacific affairs mentioned in a joint communiqué capping summit talks held Monday between visiting French President Emmanuel Macron and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina-both back from the Delhi G20 summit.
French officials said the deal for the A350 wide-body airplanes, which is still being finalised, is with the national flagship carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines Ltd, news agencies reported.
"I thank you for your trust in the European aerospace industry. And this commitment for 10 Airbus A350 is important," Macron said in a statement to the media after the meeting with Sheikh Hasina.
Biman Bangladesh has a fleet of more than 20 mostly Boeing planes, more than half of which are wide-bodied, and some Dash-8 turboprops, procured from the US plane-maker.
Mahbub Ali, Bangladesh's junior minister for Civil Aviation, said the initial order would be for two Airbus planes.
"We have asked for 10 aircraft in phases. The technical committee is now evaluating. These aircraft will be used on new and old routes. Each country has Airbus and Boeing in its fleet. But we only have Boeing, not a single Airbus," Mr Ali was quoted by Reuters as saying.
Biman Bangladesh's demand for more wide-body aircraft comes as travel is seeing a strong post-pandemic rebound. The carrier flies nonstop to 20 destinations worldwide, including Britain, Malaysia, Thailand and Canada.
The two countries signed a deal on €184-million credit facility from France to support urban governance and infrastructure improvement in Bangladesh.
Sharifa Khan, Secretary of the Economic Relations Division (ERD), and Benoit Chassatte, French Development Agency (AFD) Country Director in Dhaka, inked the agreement.
"This concessional loan will help the Urban Governance and Infrastructure Improvement or UGIIP project, which will be implemented by the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED)," said AFD.
It also serves to provide capital investment for improved municipal infrastructure and service provision in 88 municipalities.
Through this project, LGED and AFD hope to reduce urban poverty, improve urban living conditions, support more inclusive governance and more resilient municipalities.
Dhaka and Paris also signed a letter of intent (LOI) on cooperation between Bangladesh Satellite Company Limited (BSCL) and Airbus Defence and Space SAS, France, related to Bangabandhu-2 Earth Observation Satellite System. This one was signed by BSCL Chairman Dr Shahjahan Mahmood and Stephane Vesval, Senior Vice President Sales and Marketing, Space Systems, Airbus, officials said.
The documents were inked in presence of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and President Emmanuel Macron at Karobi Hall of the Prime Minister's Office in Dhaka.
Macron, the first French president to visit Bangladesh in 33 years, arrived here on Sunday evening from India after attending the G20 summit in New Delhi. The French leader left Dhaka on Monday afternoon.
Francois Mitterrand was the last French president to visit Bangladesh on 22-24 February 1990.
Total trade between Bangladesh and France soared from 210 million euro to 4.9 billion euro now with France being the 5th country for exports.
French companies are now involved in various sectors, including engineering, energy, aerospace and water sectors.
In the joint statement issued after the bilateral summit meeting both the countries vowed to enhance cooperation especially in business, climate and defence sectors.
"Bangladesh also invites France to jointly explore ventures in leveraging marine resources in the Bay of Bengal in a sustainable manner," the statement reads.
France urged Bangladesh to ensure labour reforms to be eligible to have the European GSP-plus facilities.
"France thanks Bangladesh for its commitment concerning the acquisition of 10 A350 from Airbus. The two countries underline as well the importance of continued cooperation on improved air-traffic management in all airports of Bangladesh. Likewise, as a contribution to the 2041 Vision of a Smart Bangladesh, the two countries welcome the conclusion of a space partnership between Airbus DS and Bangladesh Satellite Company Ltd (BSCL) that will strengthen Bangladesh's position as a Space nation after it masters its own sovereign earth-observation satellite," the statement says.
Both sides reaffirmed their interest in expanding bilateral trade and exploring potential of investment in quality and resilient infrastructure development in Bangladesh, including in the railway sector, the statement said, adding that the Prime Minister of Bangladesh and the President of the French Republic express the hope that Bangladesh-France Investment Summit to be held on 23 and 25 October 2023 in Paris and Toulouse would inject new impetus into bilateral trade and investment relations.
France expresses its confidence in the economic prospects offered by Bangladesh for shared growth and inclusive development. They recall the depth of their economic partnership, spanning every sector from industry to services, and express their willingness to further deepen and widen it through business-to-business collaboration.
France lauds the adoption of the National Action Plan on the Labour sector of Bangladesh (2021-2026) and stresses the importance of its implementation and the diversification of Bangladesh's economy in order to facilitate a smooth and sustainable transition under the Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) of the European Union.
About the Rohingya crisis the statement says both countries reiterated their commitment to maintaining the situation and repatriation of Rohingyas high on the international agenda and the need to create conditions inside Myanmar that allow for their voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return to their ancestral homeland at an early date.
France announces its decision to intervene, along with other partners, in the Gambia-versus-Myanmar case before the International Court of Justice, in support of the international efforts to ensure justice and accountability.
"As two resident powers in the Indian Ocean, Bangladesh and France reiterate their vision of a free, open, inclusive, secure and peaceful Indo-Pacific. They are determined to deepen cooperation among the members of the Indian Ocean Rim Association, building on the impetus given by Bangladesh's presidency of the organization, and state their willingness to cooperate with other like-minded countries in the region," the statement says on the crucial Indo-Pacific issue
Bangladesh and France also take note of the progress with implementing the EU-Bangladesh Standard Operating Procedures for the Identification and Return of Persons without an Authorisation to Stay, and decide to enhance cooperation to address the challenges related to irregular migration flows, including people smuggling and trafficking in persons.
Both the countries recall the Letter of Intent on Cooperation and Exchanges in the Field of Defence signed between the two governments during the visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to France in November 2021 and state their willingness to step up defence cooperation, with a focus on naval, air and terrestrial capacity, including equipment and transfer of technology, in support of Bangladesh's strategic autonomy.
Both support the strengthening of cooperation on non-traditional security issues, notably cooperation on maritime domain awareness under the CRIMARIO programme.
"Bangladesh and France believe in the strength of bilateral and international cooperation in the face of the climate emergency. Following up on the Paris Summit for a New Global Finance Pact, whose recommendations Bangladesh endorses, Bangladesh and France jointly call for the swift implementation of the Paris Pact for People and the Planet and for the mobilization of additional financing from all sources for development, climate and biodiversity."
The statement also says Bangladesh and France believe global efforts to facilitate access to climate finance for developing countries should be accelerated further.
France will continue to support vulnerable countries in facing extreme events and responding to loss and damage, including through the V20-G7 Global Shield against Climate Risks of which Bangladesh is a priority country, and through the further implementation of climate-resilient debt clauses.
"Bangladesh and France observe that climate change and supply- chain disruptions are having a disastrous toll on food sovereignty, food security and nutrition worldwide. Bangladesh and France agree to strengthen their cooperation in sustainable and resilient food and agriculture systems in support of food security through regular dialogues. In this regard, France appreciates Bangladesh's joining the Food and Agriculture Resilience Mission (FARM) initiative led by France".
Both the countries vow to share a deep-seated friendship, based on shared democratic values, promotion of human rights, sustaining peace and sustainable development.
The statement observes that the meeting between the two leaders will give a strong impetus to the bilateral relations, and states their common conviction to develop a trusted and meaningful partnership-fostering strategic autonomy - in support of global peace and security, resilience and prosperity, and people-centric connectivity.
mirmostafiz@yahoo.com