President Bhandari’s Bangladesh visit fruitful: Minister Gyawali

Minister for Foreign Affairs, Pradeep Gyawali, has said that President Bidya Devi Bhandari’s recent state visit to Bangladesh was successful to further strengthen relations between the two countries.

In a statement on matter of public importance in today’s meeting of House of Representatives, Minister Gyawali clarified that the visit of head of the nation of the both countries and bilateral talks, high-level consensus and agreement are concrete achievements that have taken relation between the two countries to a new height as well as for the promotion of economic partnership and trade.

President Bhandari had paid a two-day state visit to Bangladesh at the invitation of President of Bangladesh, Abdul Hamid, from March 20.

During the visit, President Bhandari had discussion with the President, the Prime Minister and leaders of other parties of Bangladesh focusing on bilateral issues.

Foreign Minister Gyawali briefed the House that the bilateral discussions and agreements as well as understanding reached at political level have helped further strengthen the relations between the two countries.

An understanding was reached regarding taking concrete step in economic partnership development, trade promotion between the two countries and support infrastructure sector including balanced trade and transit, road and air transport during the bilateral talks between the two presidents during the Bangladesh visit.

He shared that Nepal is gradually becoming self-reliant in energy and the leaders of the two countries had concrete talks on energy trade along with search of energy market.

Minister Gyawali added that agreement was signed on four important issues between Nepal and Bangladesh during the visit.

Sharing government's serious concerns over the recent development taking place in Myanmar, Minister Gyawali responded to the lawmakers' queries on government's position and said that the government was worried about the incidents happening in Myanmar.

The Foreign Affairs Minister also said that the Government of Nepal repeatedly issued statements to express its concerns on Myanmar's latest incident.

The government has expressed its concerns to the arrest of Myanmar's President and pro-democracy leaders, he added.

"We have been witnessing demise of many citizens in Myanmar from the state force in the peaceful demonstrations. An appeal was made for the release of political prisoners, dismissal of elected government was criticised and an end to excessive use of force was demanded," Gyawali said.

Speaking at the HoR meeting, opposition NC's lawmakers Pushpa Bhusal, Dila Sangraula, Bharat Kumar Sah, Devendra Raj Kandel and others drew the government attention on Myanmar case and asked the government to condemn the killings of children there.

Likewise, lawmaker Dilendra Prasad Badu thanked the government for its promptness over the incident of construction of border walls from the Indian side in Darchula district.

Similarly, lawmaker Gagan Kumar Thapa questioned why the issue of Myanmar was not raised in BIMSTEC meeting.

Lawmakers Dibyamani Rajbhandari and Tek Bahadur Basnet asked the government to make democracy fighters' details collection more systematic and transparent.

In response, Minister Gyawali shared that the government was planning to honour the democratic fighters and a taskforce is working to that end.

Likewise, lawmaker Rajendra Kumar KC demanded that the government released the inspection report on a wall construction from Indian side in Darchula district.

Similarly, lawmaker Prem Suwal asked the government to inform about the inspection team sent from the government to inspect the encroached upon land of Darchula on April 12, 2020.

Study about Darchula border encroachment

Foreign Minister Gyawali has said that a team from Department of Survey, Nepali Army, Nepal Police and district-based Survey office made an onsite inspection of the site where India has made a security wall linking the border in Darchula, and also developed a report on it. A joint survey team will be studying the construction in a week and determine whether it is as per border standards.

He said that the government has given priority to the participation and pro-active role of Nepal in regional associations including BIMSTEC and SAARC. Nepal is working to revitalize the SAARC.