City Desk :
French Ambassador to Bangladesh Marie Masdupuy has said democracy is about ‘liberty, equality, fraternity and inclusivity’ and noted that the country is now heading towards ‘truly democratic elections’ under the ‘wise and remarkable’ leadership of Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus.
“The road is paved with many obstacles but courage and determination will no doubt allow removing them,” she said while speaking at a reception marking France’s National Day at the Embassy on Sunday evening.
Food and Land Adviser Ali Imam Majumder attended the reception as the chief guest.
Advisers to the interim government, officials, politicians, diplomats, members of the civil society, cultural figures, business leaders, and journalists – all gathered to honor the spirit of liberty, equality, and fraternity.
The Ambassador said freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and press freedom are also cornerstones on that tortuous path and they must go along with fair justice of course.
In her speech, Ambassador Masdupuy recalled the storming of the Bastille 236 years ago, a defining moment of the French Revolution, and drew a parallel with Bangladesh’s own historic movement in July last year.
“The values you have been fighting for are familiar to us,” she said.
“Between 1789 and the consolidation of democracy in France, it took us almost 100 years. I am confident you will achieve it much faster than we did,” she said, adding that in the context of the ongoing transition, they understand the need to be patient.
The Ambassador reaffirmed France’s commitment to supporting Bangladesh’s development and strategic autonomy, and announced upcoming cooperation in space technology, helping enhance Bangladesh`s sovereign capacity to monitor climate change through satellite data.
Ambassador Masdupuy said France’s main leading objective in relation to Bangladesh remains to see the country gaining more and more strategic autonomy.
She announced that, in the coming months, they will be working towards strengthening bilateral spatial cooperation. “The main goal will be to enhance Bangladesh’s sovereign capacity in understanding climate change through satellite data.”
