France to provide €320 million to assist Bangladesh's COVID battle, development

Bangladesh and France have signed three agreements to increase financial assistance and technical support for the South Asian country's battle against COVID-19 and the implementation of water supply and aviation projects.

The agreements, worth 330 million euros, were signed on the second day of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ongoing visit to Paris on Wednesday, Bangladesh Ambassador to France Khondker M Talha told reporters at a press conference.

“Under an agreement, Agency France Development (AFD) will provide Bangladesh 200 million euros in assistance to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to that, France will provide another 130 million euros for the Dhaka Environmentally Sustainable Water Supply Project. The country had previously provided 30 million euros for this ongoing project,” said Economic Relations Division (ERD) Secretary Fatima Yasmin. 

“With this 330 million euros, the total support of France to Bangladesh exceeded 1 billion euros as earlier it provided 800 million euros.”

“AFD has been working with Bangladesh since 2012. The assistance, provided through the agency for Bangladesh, increased a lot over the last three years,” Yasmin said. 

Bangladesh Civil Aviation Authority has signed an agreement with France Civil Aviation Authority to extend technical cooperation as well.

“The agreement will help to extend knowledge sharing and training facilities for the employees. We will also be able to organise events over various issues including aviation safety under this agreement,” said Civil Aviation and Tourism Secretary Md Mokammel Hossian.

After visiting Glasgow and London, the prime minister arrived in Paris on Tuesday and met French President Emmanuel Macron.

She is scheduled to leave Paris on Nov 13 and arrive in Dhaka the next morning.