French President Emmanuel Macron will come to Dhaka on September 10 from New Delhi after attending the G20 summit to deepen bilateral relations.
"It will also be an opportunity to deepen our bilateral relations with a country that is experiencing rapid economic growth and seeking to diversify its partnerships," the French embassy in Dhaka said on Monday.
The embassy said the G20 Summit will allow the French president to maintain the constant dialogue with his counterparts from all continents in order to fight against the risks of partitioning the world.
It will also be a matter of advancing in the implementation of joint responses to the major global challenges.
This can only be tackled effectively through multilateral action: peace and stability, the fight against poverty, climate and planet preservation, food security and digital regulation.
The G20 will also be an opportunity to follow up on the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact held in Paris last June. This Summit allowed to establish the Paris Agenda for Peoples and the Planet, offering a framework for collective action to ensure that no country has to choose between the fight against poverty and the planet protection.
In Bangladesh, the president will continue "the concrete declination of the French strategy in the Indo-Pacific, after welcoming Indian Prime Minister Modi to Paris this summer and visiting Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Sri Lanka."
"Bangladesh and France also show great convergence in the face of global challenges, particularly within the framework of the Paris Agenda for Peoples and the Planet, which Bangladesh actively supports.”
"Since the country is particularly vulnerable to climate change, the president will recall France's determination to stand by Bangladesh on its humanitarian front, in particular in the face of regular floods.”
"Bangladesh is also an important contributor to international solidarity actions, whether through its contingents in peacekeeping operations or in hosting Rohingya refugees," the embassy said about the visit.
Earlier, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen told reporters that the French President would be visiting Bangladesh following the invitation of Prime minister Sheikh Hasina during her official visit to Paris in 2021.
The high-level discussions, during the visit in November, covered, among other issues, upgrading of bilateral relations, the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations which both countries celebrated in 2022 and major international and regional issues.
Both leaders welcomed the growth of their friendship, and highlighted their shared will to develop and deepen all aspects of their partnership through regular political consultations for strategic guidance.
Both countries reiterated their determination to enhance cooperation in all areas, including politics and diplomacy, defence and security, trade and investment, sustainable development and climate change, and education and cultural exchange.
Both countries also recognized the importance of sustained and substantive cooperation in relevant regional and multilateral fora.
Development of defence and security cooperation was also stressed.
Furthermore, they committed to stepping up cooperation in the area of defence equipment based on the needs expressed and each party’s ability to respond to them, including through capacity building and potential technology transfer.
France and Bangladesh share the same vision for a free, open, peaceful, secure and inclusive Indo-Pacific region, based on international law and with shared prosperity for all.
The foreign minister had said there were lots of issues to discuss during the visit of President Macron.
Rohingya issue, women empowerment, climate change, trade and investment, and migration are some of the key issues, he said.
"Climate change is a big issue for us. France is a leader in this field. We will request the president to play a role to collect money for the loss and damage fund."