Bangladesh’s relationship with Nepal is one which has been built on mutual trust and cooperation ever since our country’s independence.
In fact, Nepal was one of the first countries to recognize Bangladesh as a sovereign entity, and when two countries share such a deep history and understanding of each other, it is expected that we continue to build on this friendship for mutual benefit and progress.
In this regard, it is encouraging to hear the Nepalese Ambassador to Bangladesh, Banshidhar Mishra, speak on the “need to engage in continuous exercises … in an effort to ensure that our existing bilateral relations get traction and momentum.”
This is true. As the ambassador rightly said, the trade volume between the two countries currently stands at around $60 million -- a negligible amount, to be certain.
However, there is plenty of potential for both nations to engage in mutually beneficial partnerships -- with RMG, tourism, and bus services being some of the key areas in which we could come to agreements which allow for better trade and communications between the two countries.
For a developing country like Bangladesh -- and, in fact, also Nepal -- such regional cooperation would go a long way towards ensuring that there is sustainable growth for both parties involved.
There are plenty of services and goods that Nepal can offer us, and vice versa, and creating agreements which ensure the smooth flow of these goods and services is essential to creating win-win situations which propel both the nations forward in their development trajectory.
