When it comes to maintaining bilateral relations, certainly Bangladesh's dictum “friendship towards all, malice towards none” rings true the world over, and it is certainly true that being on the precipice of achieving our national ambitions has also made us all the more noticeable to other nations.
Joining those ranks, France has now commended Bangladesh's unstoppable march towards development and reiterated its support towards our nation's goal of becoming a developed nation by 2041 and have even pledged support on clean and green energy, climate change, and, most pressingly, the repatriation of the Rohingya.
France's support in the Rohingya crisis signals a new beginning, however late it may be, that it is a crisis that must be put an end to sooner than later. The fact that more nations are starting to speak up is a testament to our diplomatic efforts.
More importantly, strengthening our relationship with France will have a tremendous effect on our development efforts. France is one of the strongest nations in the EU bloc, and the fact that they have taken an interest in us is reassuring. If we can cement our standing with such an important ally, then our path to development and prosperity will become a whole lot easier.
This is indeed the kind of recognition Bangladesh will need to foster more of as we move ahead towards our middle-income aspirations.
We are on our way up. It's just a matter of how fast we can get there.
