Minister for Foreign Affairs Bala Nanda Sharma is returning back to Kathmandu from Dhaka Thursday afternoon. He is on an official visit to Bangladesh from Tuesday to attend the state funeral of Begum Khaleda Zia, former Prime Minister of Bangladesh and Chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

Minister Sharma attended the state funeral in Dhaka on Wednesday afternoon, where a floral wreath was laid at the burial site of the late leader on behalf of the Government of Nepal.

During the visit, Foreign Minister Sharma met Tarique Rahman, son of the late Begum Zia and Acting Chairperson of the BNP, and conveyed condolences on behalf of the Government and people of Nepal. Sharma noted Begum Zia’s role in Bangladesh’s political and democratic journey. Rahman thanked the foreign minister for attending the funeral and expressed hope for continued cooperation between Nepal and Bangladesh.

On Wednesday afternoon, Sharma also called on the Chief Adviser of the Interim Government of Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus, and handed over a message of condolence from Prime Minister Sushila Karki. In the message, the prime minister acknowledged Begum Zia’s contributions to strengthening Nepal-Bangladesh relations during her three terms as prime minister.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, discussions during the meeting covered bilateral relations and explored ways to enhance cooperation in areas such as trade, energy, connectivity, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges.

Foreign Minister Sharma also met Bangladesh’s Adviser for Foreign Affairs Md Touhid Hossain and delivered a personal letter of condolence. Hossain thanked Nepal for its continued support and for the foreign minister’s presence at the funeral.