Country Lecture on ‘Bangladesh-Nepal Ties: Towards a New Height’
by Ambassador Mr. Ghanshyam Bhandari at
Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS)
(Dhaka, Bangladesh, 20 April 2025)
Chairman of the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS), Ambassador A F M Gousal Azam Sarker,
Director General of BIISS Major General Iftekhar Anis,
Professor Dr. Niloy Ranjan Biswas,
Distinguished Guests, and
Friends from Media,
Namaste, As-salamu Alaykum, and Good Morning!
Let me begin by thanking the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) for organizing this country lecture and inviting me to speak on ‘Bangladesh-Nepal Ties: Towards a New Height’.
I would like to express my gratitude to the Chairman of the Institute Ambassador A F M Gousal Azam Sarker, DG Major General Iftekhar Anis and the entire BIISS team for this opportunity.
Thank you, Professor Dr. Niloy Ranjan Biswas, for joining the panel.
The canvas of Nepal-Bangladesh relations is quite vast and wide. Because when presented with a brush, every one of us has a habit of painting differently on the same canvas, I will also try to paint a picture of my choice. I hope to do so by highlighting some perspectives and ideas even if they do not present the full story.
I will briefly shed light on four major aspects of our dynamic relationship: spirit of friendship and neighbourliness, growing economic partnership, vibrant cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and our shared pursuit of common goals through regional and multilateral frameworks.
Excellencies, Distinguished Guests,
When we talk about Nepal-Bangladesh relationship, we are talking about a friendship that is founded on mutual trust and tempered by time. It is not just about strategy but about sincere friendship.
It is also about our connections that are ‘organic’ and natural. Just like the rivers emanating from the towering Himalayas and flowing down to the calm shores of Bay of Bengal, our paths intertwine and converge towards shared goals of progress and prosperity.
And, our relationship is about a similar story. We are the co-authors of this evolving story of development efforts and adventures – sometimes humble, sometimes bold but always in sync.
Though our diplomatic relations were established in 1972, connections and interactions between our societies and communities predate that milestone.
Nepal was one of the first countries to recognize Bangladesh as an independent country.
Over the last 53 years, our relations have evolved across a diverse range of sectors.
Engagements at the highest political level and an exchange of high-level visits have further added dynamism to our relations.
We have always stood with each other in times of need, be it during Bangladesh’s liberation war, Nepal’s devastating earthquakes in 2015, or the recent COVID-19 pandemic.
Nepali people consider Bangladesh as one of the closest friends. Bangladeshi people are admired in Nepal for their entrepreneurship, determination and resilience. I find similar sentiments among Bangladeshi friends towards Nepal and Nepali people.
We also relate to each other in terms of our opportunities and challenges.
These attributes constitute a spirit of true neighbourliness, nurtured by an enduring friendship.
The second driver of our relations is a growing economic partnership.
While we should concede that our current economic engagements remain at the modest level, we have also made some significant advances in areas of trade, connectivity, energy, and tourism, among others
Over the years, our bilateral economic and commercial ties have grown steadily. While trade between our two countries is gradually increasing, we are yet to make significant headways.
We have been negotiating a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) aimed at boosting our bilateral trade.
A dedicated Trade Negotiation Committee (TNC) has been tasked with negotiating the PTA text, determining the Rules of Origin, and finalizing product lists.
To fully tap the trade potential between our two countries, there is a need to further intensify our efforts to enhance trade and investment linkages, including by eliminating or reducing the other duties and charges (ODCs).
We must also address the non-tariff barriers, including through upgrading the facilities at land customs stations, standardizing the procedures and harmonizing trade regulations.
While Bangladesh has generously granted Nepal access to the Mongla and Chattogram ports, most of our trade takes place through the Banglabandha land port. The use of seaports remains limited, primarily due to distance and higher cost of transshipment.
Nevertheless, we remain optimistic about greater utilization of these ports for both bilateral and third-country trade, particularly through the Rohanpur–Singhabad railway transit route, which offers possibilities for enhanced connectivity.
When we deliberate on new heights of Nepal-Bangladesh ties, power trade has emerged as the most promising avenue of our cooperation. Given Nepal’s hydropower potential and Bangladesh’s increasing energy needs, energy cooperation is indeed a win-win enterprise.
With the historic power flow of 40 MW hydroelectricity from Nepal to Bangladesh via the Indian grid on 15 November 2024, energy cooperation has opened a new chapter in our economic partnership.
This marked the implementation of the first-ever trilateral power-sales agreement among Nepal, Bangladesh, and India signed on the 3rd of October 2024 in Kathmandu. With this, regular transmission of power is scheduled to occur for five months annually from mid-June to mid-November, aligning with Nepal’s peak energy generation period.
While this may be just a small step, it carries symbolic significance as it has the potential to generate new momentum for cooperation in the power sector at both bilateral and sub-regional levels.
Also, talks are underway for a joint venture agreement between our two governments for the Sunkoshi III hydropower project of 683 MW.
Bangladesh authorities are also engaged with GMR Company of India in finalizing the deal for 500 MW of electricity from Upper Karnali which has a capacity of 900 MW.
There is one more economic and broader developmental issue on which we are working together.
We are both set to graduate from the Least Developed Country (LDC) category by 2026.
Of course, graduation is an important development milestone for both of our countries. But going forward, our countries are sure to confront various challenges, including due to the loss of international support measures.
So, we continue to share our experiences and lessons learned, and work together for a smooth, sustainable, and irreversible graduation.
We are working together - both bilaterally and at international forums - to push against any pushback to ensure a smooth, sustainable, and irreversible graduation.
Now, please allow me to touch upon the third aspect of our relations, i.e. cultural and people-to-people exchanges.
Culturally, our nations share age-old and deep-rooted connections. We are woven together by a rich tapestry of shared traditions, spiritual linkages and language affinities.
Our peoples appreciate each other’s art and music and carry centuries of wisdom that continue to shape our modern identities.
Great Bengali scholars and philosophers such as Atish Dipankar and Vanaratna travelled to Nepal centuries ago to spread Buddhism.
It was in 1908 the renowned Bengali scholar Haraprasad Shastri discovered a palm-leaf manuscript of the Charyapada in the Royal Court of Nepal.
Our shared linguistic heritage is evident in Sanskrit being the origin of both Nepali and Bangla languages.
We celebrate similar festivals, such as Nepali New Year and Pohela Baisakh, Dashain in Nepal and Durga Puja in Bangladesh, along with common festivals like Eid, Saraswati Puja and Pahela Falgun. These are a testament to the way our cultures, customs and traditions blend harmoniously.
Similarly, tourism contributes to the promotion of greater understanding and appreciation between the peoples of two countries. Nepal’s vibrant and welcoming spirit has captivated the hearts of many Bangladeshi tourists making it one of the most favored destinations for them.
I am pleased to note the increasing trends of touristic links. In 2024, close to 50 thousand Bangladeshi tourists visited Nepal.
Currently, two airlines – Biman Bangladesh and Himalaya Airlines – are operating as many as 13 direct flights per week between Kathmandu and Dhaka.
To further consolidate Nepal-Bangladesh tourism connections, our both sides need to make sustained collaborative efforts, including through establishment of tourism circuits, promotion of lesser-known travel destinations, promotion of cuisines, and exchange of art and cultural programmes, among others.
Bangladesh is a sought-after destination for Nepali students pursuing higher education, mainly in the medical field. Approximately, 2700 Nepali students are studying at various universities across Bangladesh.
These Nepali students have been serving as valuable cultural ambassadors, bringing our two societies together.
We wish to see these academic exchanges grow in both ways. Nepali universities and colleges, known for their excellent facilities and quality higher education, look forward to hosting more Bangladeshi students, particularly in liberal arts, hospitality management, and information technology.
Finally, let me briefly speak on regional and multilateral cooperation
It is a bitter reality that we are yet to fully tap the potential of regional cooperation in our region. We started some ambitious initiatives under SAARC and BIMSTEC. But we have a long way to go in ensuring an economically integrated region.
South Asia has just about 1.5 percent of the world’s merchandize trade, and about 5.5 percent of regional trade which contributes to about 2 percent of the regional GDP.
The number of people living under poverty has fallen significantly but still half of the world’s poor people live in the region, i.e. about 400 million
As two major proponents of SAARC and BIMSTEC processes, Nepal and Bangladesh have been advocating for enhanced regional connectivity, trade facilitation, energy cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges.
We believe that the solutions to our problems are largely available in South Asia and the BIMSTEC region. It is upon us to work together, revive the stalled regional processes, and find solutions through solidarity.
We deliberate on a number of areas of cooperation – both traditional and emerging – under these regional frameworks.
Most importantly, connectivity - both in physical and digital spheres and through land, air and water - is the beating heart of any bilateral, regional, and sub-regional cooperation.
Our region cannot be an exception to this.
Talking about sub-regional connectivity, negotiations on the movement of cargo and passenger vehicles under BBIN framework are underway. Successful conclusion of the negotiations, by addressing each other’s concerns, if any, will be a significant milestone towards achieving seamless road connectivity in the sub-region.
Secondly, we all know most of South Asia is at the sharp end of climate crisis. Our countries and peoples have been facing the toughest impacts despite their negligible contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions.
There is strong scientific evidence to believe how mountainous and coastal lives and communities are interconnected. Global warming endangered the lives and livelihoods of 240 million people living in mountain regions and about 1.8 billion living downstream.
Unfortunately, the snow-capped mountains are melting fast, with glacial lakes often under the threat of bursts. The rising temperature in the mountainous region has led to the change in rain patterns, droughts and declining water sources.
Not least in this light and in the context that the United Nations has designated 2025 as the ‘international year of glaciers' preservation’, the Government of Nepal is hosting, from 16 to 18 May 2025 in Kathmandu, the first edition of Sagarmatha Sambaad. The Sambaad is a permanent dialogue forum named after Mt. Everest, the highest peak of the world and its first edition will be held under the theme of ‘Climate Change, Mountains, and the Future of Humanity’. We look forward to a high-level participation from the Government of Bangladesh.
Climate action is about collective commitment and collective action. So, there is a need to foster regional solidarity, mobilize resources, and empower youth and local communities.
Not acting means the loss of thousands of lives, disruption of millions of livelihoods, and denial of sustainable development to the needy people.
Albert Einstein once said, “we cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
So, we must realize our responsibilities, renew our commitments, and accelerate our actions. We must work together, and faster.
I always believe that cooperation between our two countries in multilateral forums is a less talked about subject. We work closely to advance our common interests in forums such as United Nations, Non-aligned Movement, Group of 77 and China, and LDC Group, among others.
We have often aligned our efforts on global development agenda, particularly in areas such as climate action, poverty reduction, sustainable development, LDC matters, and south-south cooperation.
Currently, as the first two largest troops and police contributing countries, Nepal and Bangladesh contribute to global peace and security through UN peace operations.
We continue to amplify the voices of developing nations and push for equitable international frameworks, including climate finance, fair trade practices, and access to technology.
In conclusion, we all know that a few bilateral relations between two close neighours embody immense promise and potential such as the ones Nepal and Bangladesh do. But this potential largely remains untapped. Now is the time to leverage the transformative power of our collective strength, solidarity, and cooperation for the mutual benefit of our countries and peoples. Now is the time of action.
Thank you all for your attention.
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