TDS Desk:

Bangladesh and the European Union want to build a long-term partnership in civil aviation, with the proposed Airbus deal potentially serving as an important step towards broader cooperation, French Ambassador to Bangladesh Jean-Marc Sere-Charlet said on Tuesday.

“It is the fact and desire for Bangladesh to engage in a long-term partnership with Europeans in the civil aviation field. It’s very important. We believe in partnership. We don’t believe in just a quick deal where you squeeze and leave—that’s not the way we work,” he said.

The ambassador was speaking at a DCAB Talks organised by the Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh, at the Jatiya Press Club.

Referring to Biman Bangladesh Airlines’ decision to purchase Airbus aircraft, he said the proposed acquisition should be viewed as part of a broader relationship rather than simply a commercial transaction.

“Ten aircraft is a big contract, but for Europe, it’s much more than that. It’s a cooperation. It’s part of a global picture rather than just selling 10 aircraft,” he said.

“It’s very important we move on this issue, because it would demonstrate the desire of the government and the demand to establish a long-term partnership with Europe in this very important field. That’s why it matters,” he added.

Sere-Charlet said Biman had selected Airbus for technical reasons rather than political considerations.

“I am not worried at all. I do insist on a level playing field, and it’s still a message we carry to the present authorities because we feel it’s necessary,” he said.

“I think this is a good test for the present government, and we have confidence in this government and in Biman. So, for me, it’s not an issue; wait some time, some days, and we’ll see what happens. But things are going well, I can assure you,” he added.

No political pressure

The French envoy said Bangladesh should be free to make its own commercial decisions and suggested that European companies should compete on an equal footing with others.

“There might be some countries that want to use their political influence to impose things. The decision should always belong to Bangladesh,” he said.

“We want our companies to be treated in the best possible way. We are ready to negotiate a Free Trade Agreement. An FTA means creating a level playing field for our companies here and for your companies in Europe. This is a matter of principle,” he added.

“How other countries view Bangladesh or whether they want to pressure or intimidate Bangladesh is their affair. But in Europe, we have decided that we believe in free and open competition, and that is what we want to encourage. This is not limited to one specific sector; it applies to all sectors,” Sere-Charlet said.

He said France and the EU do not approach Bangladesh by issuing threats or setting deadlines.

“When I meet with your ministers, I never say, ‘If you don’t buy Airbus by tomorrow, we will take X action.’ We do not operate that way. We believe in true partnership,” he said.

The ambassador said the EU had identified 61 areas where there were transparency concerns and that Bangladesh, and the EU had committed to working on them.

“This is a major priority. Therefore, we must have the ability to compete on a level playing field,” he said.

Europe does not see world as rival blocs

Sere-Charlet said the European Union believes in cooperation and does not view international relations through the prism of opposing geopolitical blocs.

“We don’t see a West against an East, or a North against a Global South. We don’t believe in that at all, and it makes no sense,” he said.

He referred to France’s diplomatic engagement with the former Soviet Union despite the ideological divisions of the Cold War.

“France maintained relations with the USSR, despite clearly being on the Western and liberty side against dictatorship. But we still worked together as diplomats to find solutions,” he said.

Bangladesh a potential partner

The ambassador described Bangladesh as a country committed to democracy, peace and multilateralism, citing its contribution to UN peacekeeping operations.

“When I went to visit peacekeepers in the Central African Republic and the DRC in Congo, I met your soldiers there and was very impressed. So you believe in multilateralism, which makes you the perfect partner for us,” he said.

“It’s not a problem that you’re not European; France existed before the European Union, and we work with everybody who has goodwill,” he added.

He said Bangladesh, having emerged from major internal challenges, could engage more actively on the international stage.

“We need you as a reliable partner,” he said.

Dhaka won’t have to pick sides

The ambassador said Bangladesh would not be required to choose between the United States and the European Union.

“Brussels is always open to dialogue. This does not mean we will accept everything, but we will never set a condition where Brussels must be chosen over Washington. We work together with Washington,” he said.

“We have a very long-standing friendship with America. There is nothing personal here; it is fundamentally a relationship between the peoples of two nations. Therefore, France or Europe will never tell Bangladesh, ‘You have to choose between us or them,’” he added.

Sere-Charlet said European engagement with Bangladesh was intended to be inclusive rather than aimed at excluding other partners.

“Europe believes in partnership and it is not about excluding anyone; it is about working together with everyone,” he said.

He added that decisions on issues such as an FTA ultimately rested with Bangladesh.

“If you choose not to move toward an FTA, that is your choice. Similarly, European nations may also decide whether to pursue the agreement. So, the most important factor is the message Bangladesh sends to Europe,” he said.