PM accorded warm reception at Elysee Palace in Paris

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was accorded a warm and rousing reception at Elysee Palace on the first day of her visit here today.

The Presidential Guard gave the Prime Minister salute on her arrival at the Presidential Palace.

French President Emmanuel Macron later received Sheikh Hasina. Then both the leaders went upstairs. They posed for photo sessions twice – during the reception and while going upstairs.

They went for luncheon meeting and tete-a-tete after making brief statements.

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen, Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni, PM’s Principal Secretary Dr Ahmad Kaikau, Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen and Bangladesh Ambassador Khandaker Mohammad Talha accompanied the Prime Minister.

The Republican Guard later gave the Bangladesh premier the state guard of honour.

In the evening, the Prime Minister is scheduled to go to the Matignon, the official residence of French Prime Minister Jean Castex to have a bilateral meeting.

Sheikh Hasina arrived Paris from London this morning to attend the 75th Anniversary of UNESCO and distribute the first-ever UNESCO-Bangladesh Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman International Prize for Creative Economy.

During her stay in Paris, Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury and Dassault Aviation president Eric Trappier, Thales president Patrice Caine will call on her at her place of residence on Wednesday.

She will have a meeting with the French business organisation MEDEF’s high-profile delegate.

French Minister Florence Parly will also meet her.

Later in the afternoon, she will visit the French Senate where she will receive an official reception during the ongoing Senate Session.

On November 11, Sheikh Hasina will attend the Paris Peace Forum.

Later, she will go to attend the UNESCO-Bangladesh Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman International Prize for the Creative Economy at the UNESCO Headquarters. From there, she will go to Elysee Palace to attend the dinner to be hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron in her honour.

On November 12, Sheikh Hasina will go to the Paris Peace Forum and attend a high-level panel discussion on South-South and Triangular Cooperation.

Later she will go to the UNESCO Headquarters to attend the inaugural session of the 75th Founding anniversary of UNESCO and she will deliver her speech there.

She will participate in the dinner to be hosted by UNESCO director general Audrey Azoulay in honour of the heads of the government and state.

On November 13, Sheikh Hasina will attend a civic reception to be accorded to her by the expatriate Bangladeshis living in Paris.

At 4pm (local time), she will depart De Gaulle International Airport by a VVIP flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines and land at Hazrat Shahjalal Airport at 10 am (local time) on November 14.

Earlier, on November 3, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived in London, the capital of the United Kingdom, from Glasgow after attending the World Leaders Summit at the COP26 and other events.

On October 31, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reached Glasgow on a two-week visit to the United Kingdom and France. (BSS)