Nepal and Bangladesh enjoy cordial and multi-faceted ties. The two countries formally entered the bilateral relationship in 1972, and over the years they have cooperated in many areas. Currently, they are working to expand their ties with a key focus on connectivity, trade, and energy, among other areas. In this context, Kamal Dev Bhattarai of ApEx talks to the Ambassador of Bangladesh to Nepal, Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury. How do you evaluate the current state of the Nepal-Bangladesh relationship? I think the relationship is most cordial. We have great warmth, confidence, and appreciation for each other at leadership and the people-to-people level. Perhaps more than our shared history and civilizational linkages, the similarities in our socio-economic and geopolitical realities have drawn us closer. On most issues, we have a common position.

What are the key areas of cooperation between the two countries?

The key areas in which our relationship developed over the years are trade, investment, connectivity, tourism as well as cultural and educational cooperation. For decades, Nepal has been the most favorite foreign destination for Bangladeshi travelers. Our attraction is not only for the majestic Himalayas, but also for the warmth and hospitality of Nepali people. In Bangladesh, too, we are developing our tourism sector. Our endeavor will now be to attract Nepali tourists to Bangladeshi tea gardens, mangrove forests, sea-beaches and archaeological sites. Education sector cooperation is one of the main pillars of our relationship. Many Nepali students are currently studying in Bangladeshi medical colleges. I firmly believe that such cooperation in the public and private sector will have a long-lasting impact in strengthening our bonds. However, the warmth in our relationship could not be translated into meaningful trade between the two countries. Being smaller economies with resource constraints and lower level of social development, I think, our initial efforts for industrialization and service sector development were geared toward creating market access in western countries. Our economies were also not ready to complement each other at that stage. Now that we are on strong footings of specializations, we see a lot of opportunities for trade amongst ourselves in coming years. Realizing this, we are currently engaged in negotiations for a preferential trade agreement between our two countries. If that materializes, our trade volume will increase significantly. What are the recent initiatives that have been taken to enhance connectivity between the two countries? Last year, we signed a document to facilitate movement of goods through the Rohanpur-Singhabad railway route, along the Bangladesh-India border. This is the second such route for transporting Nepali goods overseas through Bangladesh. We have declared long ago that we will welcome passage of Nepalese cargo through our seaports as a mark of our commitment to regionalism and abiding friendship to the people of Nepal. We are now working under a sub-regional framework called BBIN for goods transport. In future, we also want to connect two more airports to establish seamless connectivity. Using the same platform, we are currently engaged in discussions to import electricity from Nepal to Bangladesh through India. The ultimate goal is to have a dedicated line for transmission of electricity. Could you please shed some light on high-level exchanges between the two countries? We have had exchange of visits at the highest political levels in recent years. Our prime minister came to Nepal twice in her present tenure to attend SAARC and BIMSTEC summits. Our president also visited Nepal in 2019. Last year, Nepali President Bidya Devi Bhandari visited Bangladesh to attend the birth centenary of our father of the nation and the golden jubilee celebrations of our independence. Ministerial visits also take place quite frequently. The future of SAARC is uncertain at the moment. What are your suggestions for the revival of this regional body? There is an overall uncertainty in our situation. We are all facing natural and manmade calamities like environmental degradation, pandemics, wars, recessions, etc. In such a difficult scenario, when doors of cooperation are being shut because of increasing nationalism, we have no option but to work in unison in all multilateral and regional platforms. Unfortunately, some of the prospective platforms, like SAARC, could not function as expected due to political reasons. I think we should de-link politics from trade and development. Only through dialogue can we solve our problems. What are the future prospects of Nepal-Bangladesh relations? Energy cooperation is a very prospective area. Bangladesh is energy hungry while Nepal will soon become energy surplus. That is a perfect scenario for complementing each other’s needs. We are also engaged in discussions on Bangladesh’s possible investment in hydropower projects in Nepal. Also in the area of water sector cooperation, we are willing to work together for a basin-wide management of our water resources for mitigation of floods, augmentation of flow in lean season, and exploiting potentials for generation of hydropower. Agriculture is another area of cooperation, as we have a huge potential to strengthen our food security. We may also have joint ventures in areas of IT, garments and pharmaceuticals in special economic zones that we are building in our countries. Lastly, if we can establish smooth connectivity for movement of goods as well as passengers, our relations will further strengthen and people will enjoy its direct benefits. What do you like most about Nepal? I am enjoying my stay in Nepal thoroughly. Nepal has a very rich cultural heritage. Different communities speak different languages and live in peace, which is exemplary for the world. Moreover, Nepal has a very educated and enlightened civil society, who have emotional attachment for art, culture, literature and their unique architecture. Again, the people of Nepal are most cordial, warm and hospitable toward foreigners. So, not only me, all the foreigners live here very comfortably and happily. I consider myself very lucky to be posted to this beautiful country with beautiful, enlightened, warm and friendly people.