French Ambassador in Dhaka Michel Trinquier on Saturday said Bangladesh is heading towards an important time of its political history with the upcoming general election, and hoped that all the parties will be able to hold a fruitful dialogue paving the way for holding credible elections.
“We strongly hope all the parties will be able to hold a fruitful dialogue, which would allow holding free, fair and credible elections,” the envoy said.
The French envoy made the remark in a message marking French National Day.
On GSP issue, Michel Trinquier said the GSP facility that Bangladesh benefits in its economic relations with the European Union is an incentive to undertake the necessary reforms as soon as possible and according to a precise roadmap. “Taking into account, the efforts undertaken so far by the government of Bangladesh in our opinion it should not be suspended or withdrawn.”
The envoy said the bilateral relationship with Bangladesh is developing harmoniously and on many international issues, such as multilateralism, diversity of culture, protection of the environment, both countries share the same views.
On Rana Plaza collapse, Trinquier said, Bangladesh witnessed a terrible tragedy on April 24 last when the Rana Plaza building in Savar collapsed, causing the death of more than 1,100 textile workers. “With the help of foreign countries, and the expertise of ILO, we’re confident that the necessary reforms will be undertaken by the Bangladeshi authorities in order to put the country legislation in line with the international standards set in labour law.”
He said this was the motivation of the visit made by Ambassador for Human Rights M François Zimmeray at the end of May this year to make an assessment on the situation in the textile industry in the aftermath of the Rana Plaza catastrophe in order to envisage possible bilateral cooperation which could help Bangladesh reach that goal.
The French diplomat said for an export-oriented country like Bangladesh, trade is as important as aid, and in this respect France represents its fourth largest market with revenues amounting to more than 1.5 billion Euros a year.
For many years major French companies have chosen to invest in Bangladesh. One of the best examples would be the Lafarge Surma cement factory, which is one of the main foreign investors in the country.”
He conveyed his best wishes to the people of Bangladesh and his warmest regards to the French community in this country on the occasion of the French National Day.
“The French National Day offers an opportunity to remind us that the main ideals of the Bastille Day have to be endlessly defended. I’m happy to remember these values today with our Bangladeshi friends, who so bravely fought for their independence, and showed their commitment in the restoration of democracy that we so cherish.”
Source: UNBConnect