French president Emmanuel Macron, who arrived in Dhaka on Sunday evening on a two-day visit, is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with prime minister Sheikh Hasina at her Tejgaon office in the morning.
The two leaders are expected to witness the signing of a couple of bilateral instruments-one on the purchase of the second satellite from France and another on the purchase of aircraft from Airbus-today, foreign ministry officials said.
About the meeting agenda, foreign minister AK Abdul Momen said earlier that they welcome a proposal from France to set up a satellite factory in Bangladesh.
‘France has also proposed to make a second satellite for Bangladesh, as they manufactured the first one, named Bangabandhu-1. We have also agreed to purchase 10 aircraft, including two cargoes from Airbus,’ he told reporters at the ministry on August 31, adding that all these would be on the agenda for discussion during the visit.
Macron flew to Bangladesh from India after attending the G20 Summit in New Delhi. Both leaders attended the two-day event in the Indian capital, which concluded on Sunday.
Sheikh Hasina received Macron at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka around 8:30pm where he was accorded a red carpet reception on his arrival from New Delhi.
The French president was given a state salute and guard of honour by a contingent of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. He inspected the guard of honour while the national anthems of the two countries were played, United News of Bangladesh reported.
The airport and the roads through which the French president drove were decorated with portraits of Macron, president Mohammed Shahabuddin and PM Hasina. The national flags of the two countries and colourful welcome festoons were installed across the capital city.
The French president later joined a banquet hosted by prime minister Sheikh Hasina in his honour at a city hotel.
The French president will pay homage to the country’s founding president, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, at the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi 32, according to a foreign ministry release issued on September 5.
The French president is accompanied, among others, by Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna.
Foreign minister Momen will see him off at the airport this afternoon.
The governments of Bangladesh and France sincerely hope that the visit of the French president to Bangladesh will further elevate the friendly relations between the two countries to a new height, the release added.
Prime minister Sheikh Hasina visited France in November 2021 at the invitation of president Macron.
France is a major export destination for Bangladesh, as the country exported goods, mostly readymade garment items, worth $3.29 billion in the financial year 2022-2023, according to Bangladesh’s Export Promotion Bureau.
In a statement on September 5, the French embassy in Dhaka said that the two countries share a great commonality of views when it comes to global challenges, particularly with regard to the Paris Agenda for People and the Planet, which Bangladesh actively supports.
