Bangladesh and Nepal on Sunday reaffirmed their commitment to deepening bilateral cooperation across various sectors and strengthening the longstanding friendly relations between the two countries.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam congratulated the government and people of Nepal on the successful conduct of the recent parliamentary elections.

Ambassador of Nepal to Bangladesh Ghanshyam Bhandari met the State Minister on Sunday and both sides discussed a range of issues of mutual interest including trade and commerce, energy cooperation, connectivity, education, tourism, cultural exchange and people-to-people contacts.

Ambassador of Bhutan to Bangladesh Dasho Karma Hamu Dorjee also called on the State Minister.

During the meetings, views were also exchanged on enhancing regional cooperation, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The State Minister recalled the vision of late President Ziaur Rahman in establishing SAARC and emphasised the importance of reviving it to strengthen regional collaboration.

The Ambassadors of the two South Asian countries congratulated the State Minister on her assumption of the office and expressed their governments’ deep interest to work with the new government of Bangladesh.

Shama Obaed highlighted government’s high priority on fostering strong, mutually beneficial, and forward-looking relations with its neighboring countries to promote regional peace and prosperity.

The State Minister and Bhutanese Ambassador discussed the overall state of Bangladesh–Bhutan relations and expressed keen interest to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in different areas including trade and commerce, energy, connectivity, education and people-to-people contacts.

The State Minister recalled with appreciation Bhutan’s historic recognition of Bangladesh in 1971.

The two sides also discussed ongoing engagements, particularly on expansion of existing trade and the establishment of a Bhutanese Special Economic Zone in Kurigram.