Hasina gets warm welcome at French presidential palace
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was given a rousing reception at the Elysee Palace on the first day of her visit to France.
On her arrival at the presidential palace, the presidential guard gave her salute and then French President Emmanuel Macron received her.
After brief statements, the two leaders went for a lunch meeting and tete-a-tete.
The prime minister was accompanied by Education Minister Dipu Moni, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, Principal Secretary Ahmad Kaikaus and Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen and Bangladesh Ambassador Khandaker Mohammad Talha.
Later, she will be given state guard of honour by the Republican Guard.
In the evening, the prime minister is scheduled to go to the Matignon, the official residence of the French prime minister, to have a bilateral meeting.
Upon her arrival at the Matignon, French Prime Minister Jean Castex will receive her with a bouquet of flowers.
Sheikh Hasina arrived here in the morning from London to attend the 75th Anniversary of UNESCO and distribute the first-ever UNESCO-Bangladesh Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman International Prize for Creative Economy.
During the Paris tour, Hasina will also have meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron and French Prime Minister Jean Castex.
On Wednesday, Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury and Dassault Aviation president Eric Trappier, Thales president Patrice Caine will call on her at her place of residence.
She will have a meeting with a high-profile delegate of French business organisation MEDEF's.
French Minister Florence Parly will also meet her.
Later in the day, she will visit the French Senate where she will receive an official reception during the ongoing Senate Session.
On 11 November, 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 Unesco Headquarters. From there she will go to Elysee Palace to attend the dinner to be hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron in honour of her.
On 12 November, Hasina will go to the Paris Peace Forum and attend a high-level panel discussion on South-South and Triangular Cooperation.
She will also go to the Unesco Headquarters to attend the inaugural session of the 75th Founding anniversary of Unesco and deliver her speech there.
Hasina will participate in the dinner to be hosted by Unesco director general Audrey Azoulay in honour of the head of the governments and states.
On 13 November, Hasina will attend a civic reception to be accorded to her by the expatriate Bangladeshis living there.
At 4pm (local time), she will depart from De Gaulle International Airport by a VVIP flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines and land at Hazrat Shahjalal Airport at 10 am (local time) on 14 November.
Earlier, on 3 November, Hasina arrived in London from Glasgow after attending the World Leaders Summit at the COP26 and other events.
On 31 October, Hasina reached Glasgow on a two-week visit to the United Kingdom and France.
