Had a very successful visit to France: Hasina

Staff Correspondent: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterdaysaid she was happy with the discussions and outcomes of her recent visit to France, and hoped that it will sustain the momentum in the coming years.
Sheikh Hasina said this when outgoing French Ambassador Jean-Marin Schuh met her at her official residence Ganobhaban.
PM’s press secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters after the meeting.
She also thanked the French President for inviting her to visit Paris in November last and lauded the Ambassador for his productive tenure in Bangladesh and the dynamic role he played in taking forward Bangladesh-France relations.
Hasina said Bangladesh has historical bondage with France because the French people supported Bangladesh during its Liberation War and recalled with gratitude the support of the French government and its people during the Liberation War in 1971.
Turning to the current situation, the Prime Minister said all the countries have suffered due to the Covid-19 pandemic. “We’ve got a huge population…we’ve carried forward our economic activities [at this, too],” she said.
The Prime Minister greeted the outgoing Ambassador on his appointment as France’s special envoy to Afghanistan.
Jean-Marin Schuh thanked the Prime Minister for the cooperation he received from the government during his tenure and said Bangladesh’s growth rate last year was very impressive during the pandemic.
He said France will take over the EU presidency in February next and it will host a conference comprising Indo-Pacific countries during the same month. They will invite Bangladesh to the conference as well, he said.
Schuh sought cooperation from the Bangladesh government in expanding the Alliance Francis in Chattaogram.
Talking about the pandemic, he said Bangladesh will get 1.2 million Covid-19 vaccine through Covax from France within this week. He said French Economic and political relations with Bangladesh is enhancing and mentioned that the joint communique which was issued during the Prime Minister’s visit to France covered many aspects of the French-Bangladesh relations.Principal Secretary Dr Ahmad Kaikaus was present at the meeting.