Statement by Ambassador Mr. Ghanshyam Bhandari at the Reception Organized to Observe the National Day of Nepal
Dhaka, 20 September 2024
Chief Guest of Today’s Programme H.E. Mr. Md. Fouzul Kabir Khan, Hon’ble Adviser, Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, Ministry of Road, Transport and Bridges, and Ministry of Railways,
Ambassadors, High Commissioners and Heads of Mission
Eminent Political Leaders
Senior Officials of the Government of Bangladesh
My Fellow Nepali Nationals, and
Distinguished Guests
Namaste, As-salamu Alaykum, Subho Sandhya, and Good Evening!
At the outset, I thank Hon. Adviser for agreeing be to our Chief Guest for this evening.
I also extend my warmest greetings and welcome you all to this event.
আমি আপনাদের উপস্থিতিতে আন্তরিকভাবে গর্ব অনুভব করছি।
বিগতদিনের মতো এবারো আমরা বাংলাদেশের ঘনিষ্ঠ বন্ধুদের নিয়ে নেপালের জাতীয় দিবস উদ্যাপন করতে যাচ্ছি।
আপনারা সবাই নেপালের বিশেষ বন্ধু। আমরা আপনাদের বন্ধুত্ব ও সহযোগীতাকে গভীর ভাবে সম্মান করি।
Excellencies, and
Distinguished Guests,
Those of you familiar with Nepal’s history may know that we are one of the oldest nations not only in South Asia but also in the world. We have always remained an independent country.
But this national day tells a recent story. It commemorates the historic promulgation of the Constitution of Nepal in 2015 by the Constituent Assembly, a body of elected representatives.
This day is a testimony to Nepali people’s ability to resolve political issues and challenges on their own.
The day celebrates Nepali spirit of patriotism, democracy, and diversity, underpinned by the principles of equality, social inclusion, justice, and proportional representation that remain at the core of our Constitution.
Now, we are a vibrant and inclusive democracy.
However, it is far from perfect.
We know it takes hard work, strengthened rule of law, and strong institutions to build a better democracy.
And, as we observe this day, we make a renewed commitment to the most meaningful actions possible towards this direction.
It was exactly along these lines, in this year’s national day message addressed to Nepali people, President Rt. Hon. Mr. Ram Chandra Paudel stated that:
[And I quote] “We should understand that changes in the political system and governance structure alone will not fulfill the expectations of a new era. It is necessary to bring about changes in the character of the State, backed by political integrity, ethics, and values.” [End of quote]
Excellencies, and
Dear Friends
Nepal-Bangladesh relationship is one of those neighborly relations based on the shared cultures and traditions, and having immense promises and potentials of cooperation.
There are some important drivers of our dynamic relationship.
First, our bonds of true neighborliness are nurtured by tremendous goodwill and solidarity.
This runs right from the top political leadership to the grassroots level.
Over the year years, we have developed a similar vision and agenda for development.
We have always stood with each other in times of need, including during the recent COVID-19 pandemic. We also relate to each other in terms of our opportunities and challenges.
I take this opportunity to reiterate that, as Bangladesh navigates through the current transitional period, Nepal stands in solidarity with the government and people of Bangladesh and remains committed to extending all possible support and cooperation as a friendly neighbour.
Second is the driver of economic partnership.
We must acknowledge that the level of economic engagements between our two countries is currently at a modest level.
But we are on the cusp of realizing the first-ever power trade between our two countries. A tripartite deal on the export of 40 MW of hydroelectricity from Nepal to Bangladesh through the Indian transmission lines is expected to be signed sometime soon.
It may be small in volume, but it is of immense significance. This will be a much-needed springboard for further energy cooperation at the sub-regional level.
But given the closeness and proximity between our two countries, what we have achieved is nowhere close to the potential.
There is a need to further ramp up our efforts to enhance trade linkages, including by eliminating or reducing the other duties and charges (ODCs).
We must also be aware of the clarion call to intensify our engagements- be it in terms of trade, investment, transit or connectivity.
Thirdly, civilizational connect and people to people contacts have remained as a beating heart of our bilateral relationship.
Interactions between our societies and cultures date centuries back. This is evident including through the historical accounts of travel of Buddhist scholar Atish Dipankar in the 11th century, in the finding of the palm-leaf manuscript of the Charyapada at the Royal Court of Nepal in the early 20th century, and in Sanskrit being the root of both Nepali and Bangla languages, and the list goes on.
Currently, over 36 thousand Bangladeshi people visit Nepal every year.
Also, close to 3000 Nepali students are pursuing higher education in Bangladesh, especially in the medical field.
Our students, mountaineers, trekkers, and visitors from both ends are our real cultural ambassadors.
And our efforts to consolidate the cultural links and people-to-people contacts continue to gather more strength.
Last but not least, we work closely to advance our common interests in regional and international forums, such as SAARC, BIMSTEC, BBIN, United Nations, Non-aligned Movement, and Group of 77 and China.
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 are both graduating from the Least Developed Country (LDC) category in 2026.
Graduation is an important development milestone for both of our countries. So, we continue to share our experiences and lessons learned, and work together for a smooth, sustainable, and irreversible graduation.
Our close engagements around the issues such as SDGs, climate change, LDCs matters, south-south cooperation, and digital divide are also on the rise.
…….
Not least in light of these promises and potentials of our relationship, most of our conversation is not about what we could not do, but about what we can and should do next.
And we are ever effortful to leverage the transformative power of our solidarity and cooperation to catapult development and economic prosperity for millions of our people.
সম্মানিত অতিথিবৃন্দ,
নেপাল ও বাংলাদেশের মধ্যে সহযোগিতা বৃদ্ধি পাচ্ছে। কিন্তু হিমালয় ও বঙ্গোপসাগর এবং পাহাড় ও সমতল ভূমিকে আরো সংযুক্ত করার জন্য অনেক কিছু করতে হবে।
এই লক্ষ্য পূরণে আপনাদের মতো মানুষদের গুরুত্বপূর্ন ভূমিকা রয়েছে।
এই উপলক্ষ্যে নেপাল এবং নেপালী জনগনের প্রতি আপনাদের অবিচ্ছিন্ন বন্ধুত্বপূর্ন ভালবাসা এবং শুভেচ্ছার জন্য আমি আপনাদের সবাইকে আন্তরিক ধন্যবাদ জানাচ্ছি।
Thank you very much for your kind attention.