PM offers Nepal use of airport, seaport

As part of Dhaka's push for regional connectivity for common prosperity, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said she wants Nepal to avail Bangladesh's airport and seaport facilities.

The PM said this while speaking to visiting Nepalese Foreign Minister Pradip Kumar Gyawali, as he called upon the premier at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).

"Bangladesh prioritises neighbours when it comes to cooperation," the premier's press secretary Ihsanul Karim quoted her as saying at a briefing after the meeting.

Sheikh Hasina told Gyawali that her government was developing Saidpur airport (in Nilphamari) as an international aviation facility, expecting it to be a centre for regional connectivity, the PMO spokesperson said.

"Nepal and Bhutan can use the Saidpur airport and Chattogram and Mongla ports for mutual benefits," the PM was quoted as saying.

Sheikh Hasina said she always advocates for transit facilities for Nepal as part of Dhaka's campaign for enhanced regional cooperation, particularly under The Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal (BBIN) Initiative, a sub-regional union of the eastern South Asian nations.

Hasina said joint hydroelectricity projects involving Dhaka, Kathmandu and New Delhi could be a good example of regional cooperation. While Nepal enjoys a special natural advantage to generate hydro power, Bangladesh already purchases electricity from India.

On the other hand, Bangladesh could export vegetables and fish to Nepal during the winter season, when the mountainous nation needs supplies from outside, Karim quoted the PM as saying.

Gyawali said Kathmandu expects its ties with Bangladesh to take a new turn against the backdrop of Bangladesh's fast socio-economic development.