The third round of Foreign Office Consultations between Nepal and Bangladesh was held in Kathmandu on Wednesday between delegations led by Nepal’s Foreign Secretary Sewa Lamsal and her Bangladeshi counterpart Masud Bin Momen.

At the bilateral meeting, the two countries reviewed bilateral relations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

The two foreign secretaries expressed satisfaction at the state of excellent relations between Nepal and Bangladesh, according to the statement. They discussed all the major issues of mutual interest and agreed to promote cooperation encompassing all sectors, especially trade and commerce, transit and connectivity, power and energy sector, tourism, culture, and education.

Both secretaries emphasised the operationalisation of the BBIN (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal) motor vehicle agreement framework to contribute to the individual country’s economy by expanding trade and connectivity and creating more opportunities to promote people-to-people contacts, it was stated. The BBIN is the sub-regional initiative among the four South Asian nations.

Foreign Secretary Lamsal reportedly stressed the exploration of the untapped potential in economic, cultural, and educational areas and proposed to establish meaningful collaborative partnerships including in the private sector. Nepal seeks to pursue more trade and investment cooperation with Bangladesh. Lamsal urged the Bangladeshi side to explore investment opportunities in Nepal including in the hydropower sector.

According to the statement, she also requested the government of Bangladesh to eliminate the existing Other Duties and Charges (ODCs) levied on Nepal’s export to Bangladesh.

The foreign secretary of Bangladesh emphasised an expeditious conclusion of a tripartite power agreement between Bangladesh, India and Nepal soon, which will help Bangladesh import power from Nepal. Momen thanked Nepal for allocating land for the construction of a monastery in Lumbini, the statement added, calling it a milestone in the bilateral relations.

“Both foreign secretaries discussed regional issues. They also underscored the necessity of revitalising SAARC and strengthening BIMSTEC to promote regional cooperation. Both the foreign secretaries also agreed to cooperate at various multilateral forums, especially at the UN to pursue common interests, especially in the areas of LDC graduation, poverty alleviation, climate change and safety and security of migrant workers,” said the statement.

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation has stalled due to the low state of bilateral relations between India and Pakistan. As a result, New Delhi is promoting the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multisectoral Cooperation that excludes Pakistan. Nepal is in the process of graduating from the United Nations’ Least Developed Country category.

A memorandum of understanding between the Institute of Foreign Affairs of Nepal and the Foreign Service Academy of Bangladesh was signed following the meeting. The foreign secretary of Bangladesh paid a courtesy call on Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Kaji Shrestha at Singha Durbar. The next bilateral meeting will take place in Bangladesh at a mutually agreed date, according to the ministry.