Kathmandu: Amb. Shafiqur Rahman paid a courtesy call on the Foreign Minister of Nepal, Shisir Khanal, on April 21 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal.
The Ambassador conveyed warm congratulations and regards from the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh to the Foreign Minister of Nepal on his recent appointment and reaffirmed Bangladesh’s strong commitment to work closely with Nepal under his esteemed leadership. Noting the longstanding bonds of friendship between the two countries, the two sides held constructive discussions on a broad range of issues of mutual interest, with a shared focus on translating the goodwill into practical cooperation.
The two sides reviewed the existing avenues to expand bilateral trade and investment, underscoring that early conclusion of the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) would provide a meaningful impetus to deepen commercial ties and create mutually beneficial opportunities for businesses in both countries. The two sides also expressed keen interest in advancing cooperation in tourism, agriculture, food security, and hydropower, with a view to delivering tangible benefits to their respective peoples.
Foreign Minister Khanal highlighted the potential value of establishing direct air connectivity between Pokhara and Cox’s Bazar, noting that such a link could significantly facilitate tourism, strengthen people-to-people exchanges, and further deepen mutual understanding between the two countries.
Ambassador Rahman underlined the need of forming a strategic cooperation framework to effectively harness the full potential of bilateral engagement in priority sectors and suggested that the two sides may consider identifying a set of time-bound, mutually agreed deliverables to guide their implementations. Recalling the strong public mandate, he urged that this is an opportune moment for both the leadership to review the current state of cooperation and take forward-looking action plans with a view to further elevating the partnership. In this context, he stated that, under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, Bangladesh stands ready to advance and build upon the positive momentum and synergies that mark the two countries’ shared efforts toward economic development and peace.
