Sign trilateral trade agreement, AIDIA urges Nepal, India and Bangladesh

A Kathmandu-based think-tank has urged Nepal, India and Bangladesh to sign a trilateral trade agreement for regional benefits.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 12 March 2015, 02:11 PM
Updated : 12 March 2015, 02:24 PM

Founder of the Asian Institute of Diplomacy and International Affairs (AIDIA) Sunil KC said they would continue to put pressure on the governments of these three countries.

“The Indian government is positive,” he said at their annual conference on economy and diplomacy at Kathmandu on Wednesday.

‘Connecting people, connecting markets, Nepal: a possible economic hub in Asia’ was the theme of the Nepal’s biggest brainstorming event that AIDIA organised with the support of the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy.

bdnews24.com was the media partner of this conference where political leaders, local diplomats, experts from business, finance, diplomacy, academia, government and civil society convened.

AIDIA said the main objective of this conference was to give a platform to exchange ideas with a focus on economic diplomacy.

Sandwiched between two economic giants China and India, Nepal has potentials to become a “regional economic hub”.

“We request our government (Nepal) to put economic diplomacy on the frontline of Nepal’s foreign policy to promote trade relations among the regions,” KC said.

He said Nepal, located at a strategic location in Asia, could be an “economic hub in Asia”.

He said the trilateral trade agreement could benefit all countries.

Diplomats, who spoke at the conference, said Nepal would need investment in infrastructures and connectivity to be an economic hub in South Asia.

They also pointed out how Nepal’s connectivity with the rest of the world was snapped for four days after a Turkish Airlines skidded off the runway.

Its only international airport has only one runway.

Indian Ambassador to Nepal Ranjit Rae said Nepali business sector got huge comparative advantages due to its location.

"Connectivity is a must for hassle-free and seamless trade. We have to do something to increase connectivity,” Rae said.

Bangladesh Ambassador to Nepal Mashfee Binte Shams said Nepal for its unique position between India and China could play “a larger role in the South Asian region”.

"Since Nepal holds immense potential for hydroelectricity development, regional electricity grid should be built to feed the growing electricity demand of South Asian countries," she said.

AIDIA said they would organise such event every year to promote trade diplomacy and strengthen relations among SAARC countries.

This was the first-of-its-kind economic diplomacy conference organised in Nepal, it said.