Ambassador of Nepal to Bangladesh Ghanshyam Bhandari on Sunday said in Dhaka that the two countries were on the same page to revive the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, also known as SAARC that has remained non-functional for about a decade.
Underlining the need for more economic cooperation between the two south Asian nations during a country lecture, he said that both Bangladesh and Nepal would be graduating from the Least Developing Country by 2026 and they could work together to overcome their challenges ahead.
鈥楢s per the SAARC Charter, all member countries have to agree on it鈥epal being the current chair is working to mobilise others. The last SAARC Summit was held in Kathmandu in 2014. 鈥楴epal and Bangladesh are on the same page to revitalise SAARC,鈥� said the Nepalese envoy in response to a question after his lecture on 鈥楤angladesh-Nepal Ties: Towards A New Height鈥� organised by the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies at its auditorium in the city.
The heads of state or government, according to the SAARC Charter, shall meet once a year or more often as and when considered necessary by the Member States.
SAARC, the top platform for regional cooperation in South Asia, has failed to bring together the heads of member states or government since the postponement of a summit in 2016 amid India-Pakistan rivalries.
In the lecture, the diplomat said that Bangladesh had already been importing 40 megawatt hydroelectricity from Nepal through the Indian grid since November 15, 2024 and import of more 500MW was under discussion as they were establishing a hydropower plant of that capacity with the support of India.
Bangladeshi pharmaceuticals have a huge market in Nepal, he said, adding that both the countries having affinity in language and culture could enhance cooperation in many more areas including tourism and education and boost bilateral trade also.
Ghanshyam said that the Nepali business community was looking the Mongla Port as Bangladesh allowed the landlocked country to use both Chattrogram and Mongla seaports for trade with any third country.
The envoy said that both the countries were working for long on the Preferential Trade Agreement
He said that around 2,700 Nepali students, mostly medical students, were currently studying in Bangladesh.
He said that tourists from Bangladesh to Nepal were increasing. In 2024, about 50,000 tourists from Bangladesh visited Nepal, the diplomat mentioned.
Dhaka University international relations professor Niloy Ranjan Biswas also made a presentation on the occasion with BIISS chairman AFM Gousal Azam Sarker in the chair.
BIISS director general Major General Iftekhar Anis delivered the welcome address at the event.
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