French President Emmanuel Macron has declined a request for a bilateral meeting with Bangladesh’s Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus on the sidelines of the upcoming United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, marking a diplomatic setback for Dhaka’s interim administration.

According to an Economic Times report, Yunus was scheduled to travel to France in June after Dhaka sought a one-on-one engagement with Macron.

The summit is set to begin on June 9, and the French president will host a dinner for delegates the evening before.

However, the French government turned down the proposal for a bilateral, aafter which Yunus to cancel his trip.

Officials in Dhaka told the publication that although Yunus had received an invitation to the conference, French authorities informed them that Macron’s bilateral schedule was full, as several countries had already requested meetings.

They also made it clear that they were not looking to hold any additional bilaterals during the summit.

France, while welcoming Yunus’s participation in the ocean summit, sought clarity on the intent behind the proposed meeting and indicated reluctance to entertain it merely as a diplomatic formality.

Although Bangladesh had earlier expressed interest in purchasing French civilian aircraft, no concrete progress has been made on that front.

Yunus, who has been actively seeking engagements with global leaders following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina’s government, had recently met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the BIMSTEC summit in Bangkok—a first between the two leaders.