Dhaka and Paris on Monday signed two bilateral instruments (agreements/memorandums of understanding) to enhance cooperation in different fields, including infrastructure and satellite, officials said.
The documents were inked in the presence of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and France President Emmanuel Macron at Karobi Hall of the Prime Minister’s Office in Dhaka.
These are —
A Credit Facility Agreement between the Economic Relations Division (ERD), Bangladesh and the France Development Agency (AFD), France on "Improving Urban Governance and Infrastructure Program" was signed by ERD Secretary Sharifa Khan and Benoît Chassatte, country director, Agence Française de Développement (AFD).
Letter of Intent (LOI) on Cooperation between Bangladesh Satellite Company Ltd (BSCL) and Airbus Defence and Space SAS, France related to Bangabandhu-2 Earth Observation Satellite System signed by BSCL Chairman Shahjahan Mahmood and Stephane Vesval, senior vice-president, sales and marketing, Space Systems, Airbus.
Earlier, Sheikh Hasina and Emmanuel Macron held talks to explore new areas of cooperation between the two countries.
Macron, the first French president to visit Bangladesh in 33 years, arrived in Dhaka on Sunday evening from India after attending the G20 summit in New Delhi. The French leader is scheduled to leave Dhaka at 2pm on Monday.
Francois Mitterrand was the last French president to visit Bangladesh on February 22-24, 1990.
Total trade between Bangladesh and France soared from €210 million to €4.9 billion with France being the fifth country for exports.
French companies are now involved in various sectors including engineering, energy, aerospace and water sectors.
