KATHMANDU: Nepal and Belize have established diplomatic relations. The number of countries having diplomatic relations with Nepal has now reached 176.

Ambassador/Permanent Representative of Nepal to the United Nations Amrit Bahadur Rai and the Ambassador/Permanent Representative of Belize to the United Nations Carlos C. Fuller, signed a Joint Communiqué to this effect in a brief ceremony held at the Permanent Mission of Nepal to the UN, New York.

The two Ambassadors also signed a joint letter informing the UN Secretary-General António Guterres about the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

On the occasion, the two Ambassadors exchanged views on various matters of common interest to strengthen bilateral cooperation in national and multilateral settings, particularly at UN forums for the mutual benefit of the two countries.

Belize is a Caribbean country, located in Central America, between Guatemala and Mexico, bordering the Caribbean Sea in the east, with an area of 22, 966 square kilometers and a population of about 400000.

Belize got independence from the United Kingdom on 21 September 1981. Before 1973, Belize was known as British Honduras.

Both Nepal and Belize are the members of Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) as well as G77 and China. Belize became a UN member on 25 September 1981, four days after its independence.