President’s visit fruitful: Minister Gyawali

March 3, Kathmandu: Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali has said that the two-day State visit of President Bidya Devi Bhandari to Bangladesh was fruitful.

Speaking at a press meet held at the Tribhuvan International Airport upon arrival from Bangladesh on Tuesday afternoon, Minister Gyawali said the visit has been helpful in taking the bilateral relations between Nepal and Bangladesh to a new height.

President Bhandari returned home this afternoon after completing a two-day State visit at the friendly invitation of Bangladeshi President Mohammad Abdul Hamid. President Bhandari was the special guest at the centenary birth celebrations of the Father of Nation of Bangladesh Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. She had left for Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh on Monday.

During the visit, President Bhandari delivered a statement at the birth centenary programme of Bangabandhu where she stressed on the need to further consolidate friendly relations between Nepal and Bangladesh, Gyawali said. President Bhandari also held bilateral talks with her Bangladeshi counterpart in Dhaka on Monday.

Matters relating to all aspects of bilateral relations were discussed, while an agreement was reached to make economic relations between the two countries more extensive and fruitful while consolidating the political relationship.

During the meeting between President Bhandari and Bangladeshi Prime Minister Shiekh Hasina matters relating to exporting hydropower from Nepal to Bangladesh, increasing and balancing bilateral trade and expanding and improving air, rail and road connectivity were discussed.

The signing of four memorandum of understanding (MoU) on four different areas was also held during the visit, Minister Gyawali said. The MoUs were on tourism cooperation, strengthening sanitary and phytosanitary cooperation, cultural exchange and the Rohanpur-Singhabad Railway route.

The President’s entourage comprised Foreign Minister Gyawali and senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the office of the President, and other concerned ministries.