Nepal for tapping its hydroelectricity potentials jointly

NEW YORK, Sept 26 (UNB): Nepalese Prime Minister (PM) Sushil Koirla has invited his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina to join the next SAARC Summit, scheduled to be held in Kathmandu in November.

The Nepalese PM extended the invitation during his meeting with Sheikh Hasina at the latter's hotel suite here Thursday.

After the meeting, Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Huque briefed reporters.

He said the two PMs discussed issues relating to bilateral interests, including increasing regional connectivity and hydroelectricity.

The Foreign Secretary said the Nepalese PM again requested Sheikh Hasina to establish road connectivity between Nepal and Bangladesh through Fulbari and Banglabandha.

"A discussion is underway with India, and I'm hopeful of a progress in this regard," Hasina told Koirala in reply.

In this regard, the Foreign Secretary said a technical-level tri-nation meeting involving Bangladesh, India and Nepal will be held in New Delhi to this end. That meeting would also discuss the issue of sharing power and energy resources by the countries of this region.

About the issue of using hydroelectricity of Nepal by Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina said there are huge potentials of sharing hydroelectricity by the countries of this region.

The Bangladesh Prime Minister also showed interest to invest in the hydroelectricity project of Nepal as Koirala said his country holds a great potentiality of producing hydro-electricity and it should be done jointly.

The Foreign Secretary said Nepal also showed interest in sharing hydropower by the countries of this region and signed an agreement with New Delhi during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Nepal.

Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali, PMO Senior Secretary Md Abul Kalam Azad and Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque were present on the occasion.