Bangladesh seeks to boost ties with Nepal: Foreign secretary

Referring to the "excellent friendly relations" between Bangladesh and Nepal, Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam has underscored the importance of strengthening collaboration in order to unlock untapped potential.

He informed that he is ready to welcome his counterpart in the next round of Foreign Office Consultations (FOC), which is to be held in Dhaka at a mutually convenient time this year.

The issues were discussed when Ambassador of Nepal to Bangladesh Ghanshyam Bhandari paid a courtesy call on the Foreign Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently.

Ambassador Bhandari congratulated the foreign secretary on assuming his new responsibilities.

During the meeting, they discussed various areas of bilateral cooperation, including trade, commerce, hydropower and people-to-people contacts, according to the MoFA.

Both sides expressed satisfaction over the excellent state of bilateral relations between Nepal and Bangladesh and discussed various issues of mutual interest.

The discussion focused on the progress made thus far in energy cooperation and potential collaboration in additional hydropower projects.

The ambassador emphasised the importance of increased economic engagement, highlighting the major strides made in areas of trade, tourism, connectivity, education, and people-to-people connections, according to the Embassy of Nepal in Dhaka.

They also underscored the need for close collaboration within regional and multilateral forums, including SAARC, BIMSTEC and the United Nations.