The chief adviser’s press wing dismissed a report about a potential deal with France for Rafale fighter jets, calling the claims “baseless”.

This response comes after a report by India’s The Sunday Guardian claimed that “France aims to finalize Rafale deal with Bangladesh” due to renewed negotiations under the caretaker government led by Professor Muhammad Yunus.

“The Interim Government of Bangladesh is not aware of any such agreement in future,” the Chief Adviser’s Press Wing said in a Facebook post. “Bangladesh has not yet received any formal request from France to resume negotiations.”

The potential Rafale deal was initially mooted in 2019 under then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s administration. Negotiations have stalled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, there has been no official effort to revise the agreement, the chief counsel’s press wing said.