France to support Bangladesh to get GSP+ facility

Diplomatic Correspondent :
France has assured of appropriate consideration to support Bangladesh’s bid for a GSP+ facility beyond 2029 under the European Union’s new GSP Regulation, in conjunction with EU institutions and Member States.
The assurance came during the First Bangladesh-France Political Consultations in the capital on Thursday.
The Bangladesh delegation at the Consultations was led by Kazi Russel Pervez, Director General (West Europe and European Union), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while the French delegation was headed by Bertrand Lortholary, Director for Asian Affairs of the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs.
Ambassador of France to Bangladesh Marie Masdupuy and representatives from different Ministries of the Government of Bangladesh also joined the Consultations.
Both Bangladesh and France acknowledged the value of sustained and substantive cooperation in relevant regional and multilateral fora, including the UN, ASEAN Regional Forum, and IORA.
During the Consultations, both Bangladesh and France affirmed their commitment to extend cooperation in the areas of political relations, development cooperation, trade and investment, defence cooperation, cooperation in science and technology including ICT and agriculture, cultural cooperation and cooperation in archaeology, cooperation in diplomatic training in France, exchange programme between diplomatic training academies, consular cooperation, etc.
They reasserted their will to build up key partnership in the fields of aviation, space and aerospace technology.
Both sides also shared their views on various regional and international issues, including the voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return of the forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals, cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, cybercrime, counter-terrorism and violent extremism.
Giving emphasis on climate change, both sides recognised the absolute priority of addressing climate change related issues in their bilateral cooperation as well as in multilateral fora.
Regarding bilateral trade, the two sides highlighted the importance of enhancing bilateral trade and exchanging business delegation.
Inviting France to invest here, the Bangladesh side focused the areas of investment in food and agro-processing, advanced manufacturing, consumer electronics, automotive, leather, and pharmaceuticals.
The two sides discussed potentials for deepening cooperation in research and development, especially in medical and environmental sciences. Both sides also acknowledged the prospects for strengthening cooperation in aviation security and maritime domain awareness.
They had an extensive exchange of views on the war in Ukraine and reaffirmed their paramount attachments to the principles enshrined in the UN Charter, including territorial integrity and sovereignty.
The two friendly countries celebrated the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2022, and the launching of the Bilateral Political Consultations will serve as a hallmark of their friendship.
During the official visit of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina to France in November 2021 at the invitation of the President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron, both sides highlighted their shared will to develop and deepen all aspects of their partnership through regular political consultations for strategic guidance.
Both sides agreed that the second Bilateral Political Consultations would take place in Paris in later part of 2023.