By Julhas Alam

DHAKA: French President Emmanuel Macron witnessed the signature of a deal Monday to facilitate loans to Bangladesh geared toward infrastructure improvement, in addition to a letter of intent to supply the South Asian nation with an earth observation satellite system.

This got here throughout Macron’s two-day go to to Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, the place he met with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, to bolster bilateral relations between the 2 nations.

Bangladesh’s Economic Relations Division signed the settlement with the French Development Agency.

A letter of intent was additionally signed to supply Bangladesh with an earth commentary satellite tv for pc system by way of cooperation between Bangladesh Satellite Company Limited, or BSCL, and Airbus Defense and Space SAS, France.

Macron and Hasina witnessed the offers signed on the prime minister’s workplace.

Details remained unclear, with Bangladesh authorities saying they’re nonetheless ironing out the small print.

“The satellite that we will buy will travel through the orbit around 350 miles above the earth. This will be used mainly to observe the status of our crops and the sea. Currently, we don’t have any monitoring capabilities across the vast sea,” state-run Bangladesh Satellite Company Ltd. Chairman Shahjahan Mahmud was quoted as saying by Bangladesh’s main English newspaper The Daily Star.

Bangladesh purchased its first geostationary communications and broadcasting satellite tv for pc, named Bangabandhu Satellite-1 and launched in 2018, from France the place it was manufactured by Thales Alenia Space.

Bangladeshi media positively reported his go to, with many seeing it as a step to herald investments from France in sectors the place the United States, China and India are closely engaged. Some even mentioned the go to could have a political and strategic significance forward of Bangladesh’s subsequent common election anticipated in early January.

France is Bangladesh’s fifth-largest buying and selling accomplice within the fields of engineering, power, aerospace and water sectors.

“We both hope that this new strategic move between Bangladesh and France will play an effective role in establishing regional and global stability and peace,” Hasina mentioned.

Hasina mentioned each the leaders agreed to proceed to work to make sure stability within the Asia-Pacific area in addition to on initiatives involving impacts of local weather change as Bangladesh is taken into account to be one of many worst victims of change of climate.

She mentioned that France has reiterated its dedication to facilitate commerce with the South Asian nation below the European Union’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus, or GSP+, scheme, which provides creating nations incentives to pursue sustainable improvement and good governance.

Experts say as soon as Bangladesh joins the GSP+ scheme, it might lose some advantages it enjoys below the World Trade Organization’s protocol as a least developed nation as it might be totally upgraded right into a creating nation standing.

Bangladesh has lengthy been shopping for plane from the American firm Boeing, however not too long ago the federal government has signed an settlement with Airbus during which France has a serious stake.

Later on Monday, a joint assertion acknowledged the 2 figureheads agreed to work on taking their nations’ partnership to a “strategic” degree, expressing willingness to step up protection cooperation – together with on non-traditional safety points, notably collaboration on maritime area consciousness.

France praised Bangladesh’s “leading contribution” to the U.N. peacekeeping missions and peacebuilding processes, significantly in Africa, in addition to the nation’s humanitarian efforts, offering shelter and help to the forcibly displaced Rohingya from Myanmar through the years, the assertion mentioned

Bangladesh hosts greater than 1 million Rohingya from Myanmar.

Both nations reiterated their dedication to the voluntary and secure repatriation of Rohingya to their ancestral homeland.

France additionally introduced a further contribution of 1 million Euros to the World Food Program’s actions in Rohingya camps in Bangladesh.

Hasina has been below stress currently along with her searching for a fourth consecutive time period as prime minister.

Bangladesh’s important opposition get together, led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, has threatened to boycott the election if Hasina doesn’t resign and hand over energy to a caretaker authorities to supervise the following election. Zia’s get together accused her of vote rigging in 2018.

The U.S. has been pushing for a reputable election and raised questions on human rights below Hasina’s rule, threatening to impose visa sanctions if the following election is not free and honest.

Russia and China have pledged continued help to Hasina whereas neighboring India has maintained a cordial relationship along with her.

Apart from funding and different partnerships with France, Marcon’s go to is seen as a lift for Hasina within the run-up to the election.