Appreciating Bangladesh's progress, President of France Emmanuel Macron has said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman would undoubtedly have been proud of Bangladesh’s achievements. "Bangladesh indeed deserves our admiration for the progress made in economic and human development, including in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic," he said in a message sent to President Abdul Hamid. On the occasion of the National Day of Bangladesh, he sent the message on his behalf and the people of France with warm congratulations. "Bangladesh is celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of its declaration of independence on March 26. This important date in the history of a young and promising State was made possible thanks to the admirable courage of the Bengali people to defend their cultural heritage and freedom at the call of the Father of the Bangladeshi Nation," said the President of France. Also read: Curtain falls on 10-day celebration marking golden jubilee, Bangabandhu’s birth centenary In 1971, Macron said, André Malraux called on the world to support the freedom of the Bengalis. "Half a century later, Bangladesh can be proud of its achievements, and France remains ready to best meet its needs in the areas of the environment, energy, telecommunications, the blue economy and sovereignty in matters of defense and security, in the spirit of an inclusive, open and secure Indo-Pacific space," he said. President Macron said the Bangladeshi government and people have shown their generosity by welcoming the Rohingyas forced to flee, once again, Myanmar in 2017. "Your country has asserted itself as a responsible power: it is the main provider of troops for the peacekeeping operations in the world; it defends multilateralism and the norms of international law; it is committed to the defense of the environment and access to essential global public goods, such as health," he said. He renewed his congratulations to President Hamid and the people of Bangladesh on the fiftieth anniversary of Bangladesh.