French, German foreign ministers due on Monday

French and German foreign ministers will visit Bangladesh on September 21-23 together to strengthen their relations with Bangladesh.

“It's going to be a historic moment,” Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali told reporters at a press conference at his ministry on Thursday. He also mentioned such moments never came in the past.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier will inaugurate the France-Germany (Franco-German) joint embassy in Dhaka during their visit.

The Franco-German embassy in Dhaka is the first among others being constructed in the world. The foundation stone was laid on January 22, 2013, the 50th anniversary of the Elysee Treaty that confirms the rapprochement between the two countries.

The common aim of building the embassy is to display the theme of duality and unity in a single building.

Besides, the two European countries' foreign ministers along with their Bangladeshi counterpart will visit various project sites in Patuakhali.

Ali said both the countries have very strong relations with Bangladesh and have taken a strong position in favour of Bangladesh in addressing climate risk as Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries due to climate change.

The foreign minister said Laurent Fabius agreed to come to Bangladesh during his bilateral meeting with Fabius in France recently.

Fabius also told Ali that he would visit Bangladeshi with a delegation of the Movement of the Enterprises of France (MEDEF), which is the largest employer federation in France.

The French foreign minister also said Bangladesh is a vulnerable country due to climate change, and they will consider Bangladesh's opinions with due importance in the next climate summit to be held in Paris.