Paris hopeful of Dhaka support to host World Expo
BSS
Visiting French special envoy and former director general of World Trade Organization (WTO) Pascal Lamy yesterday expressed his optimism that Bangladesh will support France to host the World Expo-2025 considering extremely vibrant relations between the two countries, reports BSS.
In present situation, France and Bangladesh are well-aligned ... Our bilateral relations are really in good shape, Lamy, told journalists at the France-German Embassy in the capital yesterday.
He, however, said it is the decision of Bangladesh to be taken in this regard considering technical, economic, diplomatic and political relations between the two countries.
Lamy said the European Union will remain the largest market for Bangladesh which might come into consideration apart from cooperation in the areas of technology and others.
He said Bangladesh can also benefit from a five-year cooperation project on technology and environmental sustainability and mentioned there are issues that matter to Bangladesh and France equally.
The Dhaka-Paris relations are now really in good shape as the outcome of the recent bilateral meeting between French President Macron and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in France, he said.
Answering a question, the French envoy said the international community needs to put more political pressure on Myanmar to find a solution to the Rohingya crisis. Still, a lot of political pressures need to be exerted.
In this context, he reiterated his countrys support for repatriation of the Rohingya people.
Earlier, Lamy sought support of Bangladesh in favor of its candidacy to host World Expo 2025 when he met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her officeyesterday . Referring to French President Emmanuel Macron who termed atrocities on Myanmars Rohingya minority as genocide, Lamy said France extended its support for solution at the international level.
As France government wants to host the World Expo-2025, Pascal Lamy requested Bangladesh to extend its support to this end.
In response to Lamys request, Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh will consider it. Lamy explained Frances vision behind candidacy for the World Expo 2025.
Four countries France (in Greater Paris), Japan (in Osaka), the Russian Federation (in Ekaterinburg), and Azerbaijan (in Baku) are candidates to host the World Expo 2025.
The bid was submitted on September 28 to the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the intergovernmental organisation in charge of overseeing and regulating World Expos.
The 170 member states of BIE will elect the host country at the 164th General Assem-bly in November 2018.
