Nepal wants air connectivity with northern Bangladesh

Kathmandu has proposed Dhaka to establish regional air connectivity from Bhadrapur to Saidpur and Biratnagar to Saidpur with visa on arrival facility in Bangladesh, according to a top foreign ministry official.

Besides, the South Asian country mainly situated in the Himalayas has offered to export yarn to Bangladesh through Banglabandha land port.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh has expressed interest in investing in two hydro power plants in Nepal. Bangladesh will import this electricity through India. Therefore, Dhaka emphasises a tripartite meeting with the two neighbouring countries.

On top of these agenda, the third two-day long Foreign Office Consultation between Dhaka and Kathmandu, which is slated for Tuesday in Nepal's Pokhara, will emphasise various bilateral issues such as increasing trades and investment, removing non-tariff barriers, and mutual assistance in fisheries and agriculture sectors.

At a recent inter-ministerial meeting on the consultation, Foreign Ministry Secretary (East) Ambassador Mashfee Binte Shams said Nepal has been requesting for visa on arrival at Banglabandha land port, the only notified customs station for Nepal via India. Nepal issues visa on arrival to Bangladeshi citizens at its Kakorvita land port.

She also informed that the Nepalese side proposed Bhadrapur-Saidpur and Biratnagar-Saidpur flights and also shared a concept paper on it.

Earlier, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina gave guidelines to use Saidpur and Lalmonirhat airports to further boost connectivity with Nepal and Bhutan, and make those airports regional air hubs.

In the consultation meeting, the Bangladesh side may seek aircrafts details and preferred frequency of flights from Nepalese side.

Officials at the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism said upgradation of Saidpur airport is ongoing. The airport is now being used as a domestic airport for the northern districts-bound passengers.

Power Division officials said there are four issues ongoing with Nepal in the area of power sector cooperation. The discussion on the GMR project to transmit power via India to Bangladesh is about to be completed. If the parties agree after discussion, after 4-5 years of signing the memorandum of understanding, it would be possible to transmit power from Nepal to Bangladesh through India.

In the Foreign Office Consultation, Bangladesh may propose to hold a trilateral meeting among Bangladesh, India and Nepal on hydropower sector cooperation. 

Sources said the Nepalese side requested Bangladesh to allow all types of yarn, including non-acrylic yarn, to be exported through Banglabandha land port.

"The request has been pending for a long time. Import of yarn from Nepal is an important issue for Bangladesh-Nepal bilateral trade ties. Restriction on the import of all types of yarn through Banglabandha would hamper the bigger trade prospects of Bangladesh in Nepal," a foreign ministry official said.  

Bangladesh imports yarn from around 22 countries. The import volume of yarn from Nepal is only $1-2 million so far against the total $80 million bilateral trade in the current fiscal year.

The first Foreign Office Consultation between the two neighbours was held on 31 July 2012 in Dhaka while the 2nd meeting was held five years later in October 2017, again, in Dhaka.