Nepal-Bangladesh diplomatic relations at 50

Kathmandu, Apr. 8

Presidents and prime ministers of Nepal and Bangladesh have exchanged congratulatory messages on the occasion of the 50^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

On this special occasion, President Bidya Devi Bhandari extended congratulations to her Bangladeshi counterpart Mohammad Abdul Hamid, as well as the government and people of Bangladesh, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said in a statement on Friday.

She recalled that Nepal was one of the earliest countries to recognise Bangladesh’s independence five decades ago and expressed satisfaction at the excellent relations between the two countries reinforced by growing cooperation in the areas of trade, tourism, energy, culture and education.

President Bhandari recalled her State Visit to Bangladesh in March 2021 on the occasion of the celebration of the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Father of the Nation of Bangladesh, and expressed the confidence that the bilateral cooperation would continue to grow and deepen in the days to come.

Separately, Prime Minister Mr. Sher Bahadur Deuba sent a congratulatory message to his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina. PM Deuba stated that the two countries have been advancing collaboration and partnership in trade, tourism, energy and connectivity among others offering new and vast potentials for mutual benefit, read the statement.  

The Prime Minister further mentioned that Nepal and Bangladesh have been working in close cooperation, both at regional platforms such as SAARC, BIMSTEC and BBIN and at multilateral forums such as UN and WTO on matters of mutual interests including climate change, sustainable development, multilateral trade and public health.

Similarly, Bangladeshi President Hamid, in his message to President Bhandari, expressed satisfaction over growing trade and economic relations between the two countries.

While appreciating the fact that both countries have been maintaining very close relations, the President of Bangladesh also recalled his official goodwill visit to Nepal in 2019.

"President Hamid also expressed confidence that Nepal and Bangladesh would continue to work together for the attainment of shared vision of prosperity and development for both countries and peoples," read the statement.

On the same occasion, Bangladesh PM Hasina, in her message to PM Deuba, highlighted the shared socio-cultural linkages and multitude of commonalities that have developed over the years through mutual support and cooperation between the two countries.

Nepal and Bangladesh established diplomatic relations on April 8, 1972.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 9 April 2022.