The diplomatic circles of Europe and South Asia took note last week when French President Emmanuel Macron declined a bilateral meeting with Bangladesh’s interim adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus during the upcoming UN Ocean Conference in Nice. While the Élysée Palace formally cited scheduling constraints and the desire to keep bilateral affairs separate from multilateral forums, the subtext is unmistakable: France, like many democratic nations, remains cautious about legitimizing a caretaker regime that came to power without electoral consent.
Dhaka had actively pursued this meeting. For Yunus—whose controversial rise to interim leadership has triggered significant political backlash at home—the meeting with Macron was more than symbolic. It was a strategic attempt to secure international recognition, particularly from a key EU power known for its values-driven foreign policy. The cancellation of the visit following France’s diplomatic cold shoulder now appears as a telling blow to the Yunus administration’s international legitimacy campaign.
The optics are damning. Since assuming power, Yunus’s government has faced escalating criticism over its treatment of political parties, suppression of dissent, and questionable judicial actions. The move to ban the Awami League from political activity, the release of convicted Islamist militants, and growing ties with ideological hardliners have all sparked alarm. France, which has long championed secular governance and the rule of law, may have opted to send a quiet but firm message.
France’s reluctance is not merely procedural—it’s political. Macron’s administration has been notably vocal about human rights, especially in the Indo-Pacific. By sidestepping a bilateral with Yunus, Paris has signaled that it does not view the current Bangladeshi administration as a stable or reliable partner at this moment. And for a regime increasingly isolated both domestically and abroad, this is no minor diplomatic oversight—it is a red flag.
Moreover, Yunus’s cancellation of the trip altogether underscores his reliance on photo-ops with Western leaders to craft a narrative of global endorsement. Bereft of grassroots political support, the interim government seems to be gambling on international legitimacy to offset domestic unrest. But without meaningful democratic reforms or credible elections on the horizon, even this strategy now appears to be faltering.
The interim government may attempt to spin the cancellation as a scheduling conflict, but the reality is far starker: global democracies are watching—and withholding judgment, or worse, withdrawing engagement. The refusal from Paris should prompt serious introspection in Dhaka. If the Yunus administration continues to isolate political opponents, manipulate the judiciary, and sidestep electoral mandates, international doors will not open—they will quietly close.
France has spoken—not loudly, but clearly.
Dastagir Jahangir, Editor, The Voice News