India, May 21 -- 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.

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

Although Bangladesh had earlier expressed interest in purchasing French civilian aircraft, no conc...