KATHMANDU: President Bidya Devi Bhandari has said Nepal’s hydro resource and Bangladesh’s natural gas could be strong base for the economic prosperity of both countries.

At a banquet hosted in honor of Bangladeshi President Md Abdul Hamid, who is currently in Nepal on a four-day official goodwill visit, President Bhandari viewed that the high-level visit from Bangladesh after a long gap has helped strengthen two-country relations.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties, Nepal and Bangladesh have intimate relations. According to her, both countries have huge potential of economic development. She expressed happiness over the rapid development Bangladesh made in the recent time.

It was necessary to exchange cooperation between the two countries in the sector of trade, tourism, and education, among others. The President also reminded that Nepal was marking the Visit Nepal Year 2020 and the natural specificity in Nepal would attract Bangladeshi tourists.

She hoped that there will be high level representation from Bangladesh in the first ever Sagarmatha Sambad being held in coming April.

She was also of the view that the regional organizations as SAARC and BIMSTEC could be revitalized to end poverty and unemployment in the region. In response, Bangladeshi President Hamid said he had high level meetings in Nepal which focused on bilateral relations and cooperation.

Bangladesh was ready to extend cooperation for trade, investment, tourism promotion, connectivity, hydropower development in Nepal. He reminded that Bangladesh and Nepal were cooperating with each other in the regional and multi-lateral forums in the matters of common interests. He lauded Nepal’s important role in UN peace keeping mission.

Hamid further appreciated the moral support then political leadership of Nepal provided to Bangladesh in its independence movement in 1971. History, culture and language have further cemented the relations between Bangladesh and Nepal, he added.

He also assured that Bangladesh would extend utmost support to Nepal on its national ambition of ‘prosperous Nepal: Happy Nepali.’ The banquet was also attended by Vice President Nanda Bahadur Pun, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, former prime ministers, ministers, high level government officials, among others.

At the friendly invitation of President Bidya Devi Bhandari, President Hamid arrived here on Tuesday on a four-day official visit to Nepal.