Bangladesh is poised to sign an agreement to import 40 megawatts (MW) of electricity from Nepal, as confirmed by Shafiqul Alam, the press secretary to Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus.
The announcement follows a bilateral meeting between Professor Yunus and Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, held on Wednesday (25 September), at the United Nations Headquarters during the UN General Assembly session.
During the meeting, both leaders discussed strengthening cooperation in energy, trade, and economic sectors, while also acknowledging the growing presence of Nepalese students in Bangladesh.
Prime Minister Oli expressed his pleasure in meeting Professor Yunus and highlighted discussions on the enhancement of Nepal-Bangladesh relations.
Key topics of interest included energy and transit cooperation, tourism, cultural exchange, academic ties, and collaboration within regional and multilateral forums.
The Nepali prime minister stated, "I am delighted to have met with Chief Adviser Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus to discuss Nepal-Bangladesh relations. The talks focused on energy, transit cooperation, tourism, cultural exchanges, and academic links, as well as cooperation in regional and multilateral platforms."
According to the press secretary, the discussions highlighted Nepal's potential to export surplus hydropower to Bangladesh and other South Asian countries within the next two to three years.
The meeting underscored the deep and longstanding ties between the two nations, with particular emphasis on the close relationship between their peoples.
The conversation also touched upon Bangladesh’s substantial number of Nepalese students and potential avenues for expanding energy, trade, and economic cooperation between the two countries.
Professor Yunus shared his "Three Zero" concept with Prime Minister Oli, focusing on achieving zero poverty, zero unemployment, and zero carbon emissions.
On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Professor Yunus also met with various global leaders, including USAID Administrator Samantha Power, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk, World Bank President Ajay Banga, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman.
In addition, Professor Yunus delivered a speech at a high-level UN event on social business, youth, and technology, and held meetings with a group of civil society organisations focused on human rights.
