<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b><font color="#3984c6">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday sought cooperation from the development partners including France for ensuring the sustainability of the development programmes her government has implemented since 2009.</font></b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“To make the development of Bangladesh sustainable we have to go a long way. In this we need cooperation from the development partners including France,” she told French Ambassador to Bangladesh Marie Masdupuy who called her at her official residence Ganabhaban.</div><div><br></div><div>PM’s speech writer M Nazrul Islam briefed reporters after the call on.</div><div><br></div><div>He said that the prime minister told the envoy that during the tenure of the Awami League government transformation of rural areas has taken place in Bangladesh, which was known as poverty, flood and drought.</div><div><br></div><div>“Today’s Bangladesh is totally different,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>In this connection, she mentioned that every village of the country has now electricity and communication network has been established.</div><div><br></div><div>“The rural areas have changed a lot while poverty has been reduced significantly,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>Hasina said that the government has planned to build flats in rural areas for the poor people. Such flats are being built in the urban areas.</div><div><br></div><div>On Rohingya issue, she said that forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals must be repatriated to their homeland.</div><div><br></div><div>“They are getting involved in various types of crimes like drug trafficking and arms smuggling. They are not engaged in education or work,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>She mentioned that without repatriation the crimes cannot be stopped totally.</div><div><br></div><div>She urged the Western countries including France to mount their pressure further for the quick repatriation of the Rohingyas.</div><div><br></div><div>Talking about the stranded Pakistanis, the premier said that their fourth generation is living here.</div><div><br></div><div>“It seems Pakistan will not take them back. So we are planning to build flats for them to ensure their permanent rehabilitation here,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>She requested the French gas companies to invest in Bangladesh gas sector, including exploration.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>During the meeting the PM and the envoy discussed some bilateral issues, including Airbus purchase and launching of Bangabandhu Satellite-II.</div><div><br></div><div>Ambassador Masdupuy handed over a message of French President Emmanuel Macron congratulating Hasina on her victory in the January 7 parliamentary election and being re-elected as the prime minister.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>She mentioned the existence of excellent bilateral relations between the two countries, which strengthened especially following the visits of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to France in 2021 and Macron’s 2023 visit to Dhaka.</div><div><br></div><div>On the climate issue, the ambassador said that her country wanted to see Bangladesh as the pioneer in using the Loss and Damage Utilisation Fund.</div><div><br></div><div>She mentioned that Bangladesh has set an example in facing the challenges of climate change.</div><div><br></div><div>She said that France wants to assist Bangladesh in green energy transition.</div><div><br></div><div>The ambassador also said that her country wants to cooperate with Bangladesh in blue economy and cyber security.</div><div><br></div><div>PM’s Adviser Salman F Rahman, Ambassador-at-large M Ziauddin and Principal Secretary M Tofazzel Hossain Miah were present.</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>