It is encouraging to see Nepal reiterate its interest in strengthening ties with Bangladesh as remarked by Nepalese Ambassador to Bangladesh Ghanshyam Bhandari.
The ambassador addressed his hopes of deepened collaboration in various areas like trade and investment, energy, education, tourism, and people-to-people exchange. He also emphasized on the need for mutual assistance in our goals to surpass our least developed country (LDC) status.
Nepal and Bangladesh have long shared a friendship built on mutual trust and cooperation, with Nepal being one of the first countries to recognize Bangladesh as a sovereign nation during our fight for independence. A stronger partnership between the two neighbours is, therefore, not only to be expected, but one that we must diligently pursue.
In fact, it is now even more pressing, given both of our recent histories with citizen-led revolutions in search of reform and just governance — proof that both nations are aligned in our values of building better futures for ourselves and, in effect, the South Asia region at large.
As such, we must work together to navigate the changing landscape of our respective country’s development priorities in relation to further collaborative efforts, especially in regards to education exchange and economic growth.
Now is the time to deliberate on fruitful long-term ties on a bilateral level as well as the roles we can each play on a larger regional and sub-regional stage.
Bangladesh is at a crucial juncture of its development, with an increased need to not only fix the cracks within but also to establish itself on the global front, and it is a feat that cannot be achieved alone.
Who better to shake hands with, then, than a nation with shared objectives such as Nepal?
