A delegation of three French Senators paid a courtesy call on the State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ms. Shama Obaid Islam, MP, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs this morning. Ambassador of France to Bangladesh was also present during the meeting. During the meeting, both sides held wide-ranging discussions on Bangladesh-France relations, with emphasis on strengthening cooperation between democratic institutions of two countries.
The State Minister welcomed the delegation and expressed Bangladesh’s interest in further deepening engagement with the French Senate including through greater interaction within the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). She highlighted Bangladesh’s interest in diversifying exports to France, particularly in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, leather, ceramics and jute products, and encouraged greater French investment in these areas. She further appreciated France’s continued support for Bangladesh’s democratic transition, socio-economic development and highlighted the potential for further cooperation in trade and investment, education, culture, migration and mobility and other areas of mutual interest.
They agreed to pursue measures to enhance technical and vocational skills development opportunities for Bangladesh’s workforce. The State Minister also emphasized the importance of creating more opportunities for legal and regular labor mobility. She reaffirmed Bangladesh’s zero-tolerance policy towards irregular migration and human trafficking and expressed Bangladesh’s readiness to work closely with France to prevent irregular migration.
Both sides also exchanged views on regional and global issues, including environment and climate change, women’s empowerment and multilateral cooperation. They further reiterated their commitment to working together in multi-lateral fora.
The meeting concluded in a cordial atmosphere, with both sides expressing confidence that exchange of parliamentary delegation would provide fresh impetus to Bangladesh-France relations and contribute to further strengthening the longstanding friendship and partnership between the two democratic countries.