KATHMANDU, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Nepali President Bidhya Devi Bhandari left for Bangladesh on Monday for a two-day state visit at the invitation of her Bangladeshi counterpart Mohammad Abdul Hamid.
This is the Nepali president's first foreign visit since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic last year.
During Bhandari's visit, the two countries will sign three separate memorandums of understanding (MoUs) on tourism promotion, sanitary and phytosanitary measures.
The Bangladeshi government has made transit facilities accessible to Nepal on the Kakadbhitta-Phulbari-Banglabandh highway, as well as at the Chittagong and Mongla seaports.
It has also opened up a new "rail corridor" for the service of a freight train from Rohanpur-Singhabad to Nepal, as well as allowing Nepal to use the Mongla harbor as an alternative to the Kolkata port.
Since Mongla port is closer to Kolkata port, it will help Nepal expand bilateral trade.
Bangladeshi president paid a four-day state visit to Nepal in 2019, and expressed an interest in purchasing Nepal's energy at that time. As a result, President Bhandari's visit to Bangladesh is being closely observed in both countries. Enditem
