France invites Sheikh Hasina to World War I commemoration

France has invited Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to the World War I commemoration in November, Ambassador Marie-Annick Bourdin has said.

Speaking at the Bastille Day reception at the joint Franco-German Embassy in Dhaka, the ambassador said President Emmanuel Macron has invited leaders from all countries that contributed troops to the First World War.

“Bangladesh has also been invited, to commemorate the 1918 armistice, on the 11th of November,” she said.

“Besides the commemorative ceremonies, France is organising the Paris Peace Forum, a Global Platform for Governance projects, aiming at consolidating peace and building a more cooperative and better organised planet, on November 11-13.”

Ministers, political leaders, businessmen, academicians and cultural personalities joined Saturday’s reception.

Bourdin recalled the joint efforts of Bangladesh and France including the first-ever space mission of Bangladesh and said: “We are convinced that we can do and achieve a lot more together”

Those include, she said, in contributing to peace and stability, as both our countries hold shared views on a number of issues of concern, and are active contributors to peace-keeping operations.

“In ensuring sustainable development for all, implementing the 2030 agenda and assisting each other in implementing our international commitments; in promoting the importance of education and diversity of languages and cultures, in which are rooted the identity, the sense of belonging and individual rights of every citizen.”

She said all of those are the key factors in the two countries, respective of history and fight for emancipation.

Bourdin said the two countries would also celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on Dec 10.

Bastille Day is French National Day, held on July 14. It is the mighty symbol of French revolutionary fight for emancipation from a regime of absolute monarchy, followed by the proclamation of the “Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen”.