Connectivity essential for wider Dhaka-Kathmandu engagements: Bidya Devi

Nepalese President Bidya Devi Bhandari today said connectivity was essential for smoother and wider interactions and engagements between Bangladesh and Nepal.

"Connectivity can be improved and the cost of transport and trade can be reduced," she said.

The Nepalese president was addressing as guest of honour on the theme of "Nepal-Bangladesh Relations and Bangabandhu's Birth Centenary" at a programme at the National Parade Ground.

President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina were also present at the twin mega celebrations, marking the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and 50 years of Bangladesh's Independence.

The volume of bilateral trade between the two countries is now moderate with enough scope for expansion, she said.

"Nepal has an increasing trade deficit with Bangladesh. We need to minimise the trade deficit in order to make trade beneficial for both the countries," said the Nepalese president.

Elimination of trade barriers, development of infrastructure and easy market access could significantly boost the trade relationship, she said.

Energy is another important area for the expansion of cooperation between our two countries.

"The two countries have already signed an MoU on cooperation in power. Nepal's hydropower and Bangladesh's natural gas can be the game-changers for our development needs. For our energy trade, it's imperative to strengthen trilateral cooperation among Nepal, Bangladesh and India," said the Nepalese president.

With a view to enhancing the connectivity networks, the Nepalese president said the two countries can add more flights to the existing Kathmandu-Dhaka sector and also connect by air major regional cities like Saidpur of Bangladesh and Biratnagar of Nepal.

Likewise, linkages of Nepal's rivers with that of India and Bangladesh will help develop waterways, Bidya Devi said.

Upgrading roadways and development of railways and their linkages can also contribute meaningfully to this process, she said.

"I'm happy to state that the process of including Rohanpur as a "Port of Call" for promoting bilateral trade through railway transit is moving ahead," she said.

Bidya Devi said Nepal and Bangladesh are rich countries in terms of natural and human resources, history, civilisation, culture, and so on.

Proper utilisation of these valuable resources will be catalytic in transforming our development landscape, creating prosperity and happiness for our peoples, she said.

"We've been cooperating to enhance trade, transit, energy, connectivity, tourism, education, culture, and people-to people relations," she added.

The two countries are actively engaged in promoting common interest at multilateral forums through mutual support and cooperation. "We need to advance our partnership in these areas," President Bidya Devi said.

Given the natural beauty, rich historical and archaeological sites and cultural heritages of the two countries, both Nepal and Bangladesh can enormously benefit from the expansion of mutual cooperation in the tourism sector, she said.

"Bangladeshi tourists can relish Nepal's snow-capped mountains, lush green valleys, rich bio-diversity, and the visit of important historical, archaeological and cultural sites. Likewise, Nepali tourists can visit beautiful sea beaches, the mangrove forest and cultural and historical sites of Bangladesh," said Devi.

Currently, a good number of Nepali students has been pursuing higher education in Bangladesh, especially in the medical and engineering fields.

Similarly, Bangladeshi students are in Nepal studying Buddhism, pharmacy and other fields.

"Enhancement of quality education, including providing required support to the students, will help further expand bilateral cooperation in this sector," she said.

Both Nepal and Bangladesh have been adversely affected by the impacts of climate change.

The highlands of Nepal and the lowlands of Bangladesh have been bearing the huge brunt of the climate crisis without being a cause for it.

"Nepal's Himalayan ice is getting melted and the sea level of the Bay of Bengal is rising. It has resulted in environmental catastrophes like floods and droughts, with erratic climate. In order to address this problem, we need to strengthen bilateral cooperation, including mobilising international support," President Bidya Devi said.

Nepal was the seventh country to recognise Bangladesh.

Bangabandhu also expanded the reach of Bangladesh to the international community during his short period of leadership of the country after independence, said the Nepalese president.

As the president of Nepal, it is her first visit to Bangladesh which she termed a beautiful country.

"On my private visit, I have already been here before. During this period, I have found a lot of progress taking place in Bangladesh in terms of economic activities, development works and the enhancement of the people's living standard," she said.

In recent years, the Nepalese president said Bangladesh has successfully lifted a large percentage of the population out of poverty through rapid economic growth and this trend is ongoing.