Bangladeshi Ambassador pays courtesy call on Vice President Yadav

Ambassador of Bangladesh to Nepal Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury paid a courtesy call on Vice President Ram Sahay Prasad Yadav today.

During the meeting held at the Vice President’s office, various matters of mutual interest and concern, including bilateral relations between the two countries, trade and tourism were discussed.

According to the Private Secretariat of the Vice President, the Vice President expressed his happiness regarding the increasing amount of trade between the two countries and highlighted the great potential for expanding and diversifying trade. “I would like to thank the government of Bangladesh for providing transit facilities to Nepal through Chittagong and Mongla ports for trade with third countries,” he said. “It will be important to promote transit cooperation through these sea ports by operating the Rohanpur-Singhabad railway soon.”

Vice President Yadav emphasized that Nepal’s hydropower potential and Bangladesh’s growing energy needs offer ample opportunities for increasing energy cooperation between the two countries. “The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on electricity cooperation between Nepal and Bangladesh in 2018 is an important milestone in strengthening bilateral cooperation in the energy sector,” he stated.

He welcomed Bangladesh’s investment in the energy sector and hailed the talks between Bangladesh and India’s GMR to import 500 MW of electricity from Nepal’s Upper Karnali hydropower project, along with Bangladesh’s proposal for joint investment in the Sunkoshi-3 project as encouraging. “I am confident that the implementation of these projects will be mutually beneficial for both Nepal and Bangladesh,” he added. Bangladesh is also an important source of tourists for Nepal.

Referring to the cultural agreement signed in January 1978 to promote cultural cooperation and people-to-people contacts between the two countries, Vice President Yadav highlighted the close cultural ties and people-to-people contacts between Nepal and Bangladesh. He expressed sincere gratitude to the Bangladesh government for providing 22 annual scholarships (19 MBBS and 3 BDS) to Nepalese students under the technical cooperation agreement signed between the two countries in April 1976.

The Vice President expressed satisfaction that Nepal and Bangladesh have been cooperating on issues of mutual interest in regional and international forums, including SAARC, BIMSTEC, United Nations, and the Non-Aligned Movement. “Our two countries support each other’s candidacy in the United Nations and various international organizations. I am confident that this cooperation will continue in the future,” he remarked. “As a friendly country, Nepal attaches great importance to its relationship with Bangladesh. I am confident that the relationship between our two countries and people will be strengthened in the coming days.”

Ambassador Choudhary highlighted the multifaceted relationship between Nepal and Bangladesh, encompassing trade, tourism, education, and energy. He noted that every year thirty thousand Bangladeshi tourists visit Nepal and mentioned Bangladesh’s provision of scholarships for Nepali students, particularly in medicine. “Every year, five hundred to six hundred students go to Bangladesh for MBBS, some with scholarships,” he stated. Currently, there are 4,000 to 5,000 Nepali students studying in Bangladesh. Ambassador Choudhary also mentioned that there is currently a trade volume of 100 million US dollars between Nepal and Bangladesh and announced that an agreement for 40 megawatts of electricity will be signed between the two countries within a few days.