Four agreements with India in pipeline
KATHMANDU, MAY 14:
Nepal will soon ink at least four agreements — use of Visakhapatnam port, Railway Service Agreement, agreement on Phulbari-Banglabandha roadway connectivity and Rohanpur-Singhabad Transit Route — with India.
Among the four agreements which are in the pipeline, Nepal has already prepared the draft of the Railway Service Agreement and has forwarded it to India for consent, secretary at the Ministry of Commerce and Supplies Lal Mani Joshi, said, adding that the railway service agreement which will be signed soon will be more comprehensive as compared to the previous one.
India, so far, allows Nepali traders to ferry goods only in close containers according to the previous treaty, he said. “The new agreement has proposed the facility of transportation of goods in close containers, open containers and in bulk.”
Similarly, the ministry is preparing the draft for the use of Visakhapatnam for transit traffic of cargo. “The country will get an alternative route for trade after the agreement between the two countries regarding Visakhapatnam port is finalised,” he informed. “Nepal has long been using the Kolkata port to ship goods but it will have access to another port to expand its market after the agreement on the Visakhapatnam port.”
The import and export of goods will be easy after the agreement regarding the use of the Visakhapatnam port, he claimed.
The ministry is also preparing to ink two agreements regarding the use of Indian routes for trade with Bangladesh, secretary Joshi said.
Agreement regarding the use of Phulbari-Banglabanda route and Rohanpur-Singhabad route which is aimed at strengthening trade between Nepal and Bangladesh are also in the pipeline, according to the ministry.
Both Nepal and Bangladesh want to facilitate rail transit between them by using the Rohanpur-Singhabad route, the ministry said.
The ministry is in contact with its Indian counterpart regarding all issues, secretary Joshi said, adding that it will sign the Railway Service Agreement as soon as the Indian side sends a response.
The necessary process for signing the agreement for the remaining three agreements will be accelerated, he pledged.
Nepal-Bangla talks next week
Nepal and Bangladesh will hold trade talks on May 21-23 to look for new avenues for a better trade relation between the two countries, according to the Ministry of Commerce and Supplies. The talks are aimed at enhancing trade facilitation and increasing trade relation between the two countries, secretary at the ministry Lal Mani Joshi said. “Nepal will seek zero tariff facility with Bangladesh during the talks,” he added. Nepal and Bangladesh are also expected to ink an agreement during the talks, he said. The agreement, which is expected to improve connectivity between the two countries, is expected to further boost Nepal’s trade with Bangladesh. The trade talks will finalise the transit agreement between the two South Asian countries, according to the ministry. Accordingly, Bangladesh is keen to see Nepal use the Mongla and Chittagong ports for international trade. Bangladesh had already offered Nepal access to Mongla and Chittagong ports, said Joshi, adding that opening up the two ports to Nepal will not only bolster bilateral trade but could also hugely enhance Nepal’s exports beyond the region. Currently, Nepal is using the Phulbari-Banglabanda transit route. —
Source: THT
