Nepal-Lanka Diplomatic Ties Turn 60 Years

Nepal and Sri Lanka celebrated the completion of 60 years of their diplomatic ties on December 19, 2017.

On the occasion, a talk program was organized in Kathmandu to commemorate the 60^th anniversary of Nepal-Lanka diplomatic ties.

“Apart from diplomatic relations, we also have cultural relations. And, we should take this relationship to a new height,” Nepali Foreign Secretary Shanker Das Bairagi said in the talk program.

Stating that relations between Nepal and Sri Lanka were not confined to bilateral ties, Bairagi informed that both the countries also closely collaborate in regional forums such as BIMSTEC and SAARC, and also across multilateral forums like the United Nations.

He also thanked the Government of Sri Lanka for its support to Government of Nepal in the reconstruction activity post the 2015 Gorkha earthquake.

In response, the Sri Lankan Ambassador WS Pereira also spoke about cultural and religious ties between the two nations.

Heading Further

Stating that the friendship between the two countries has strengthened over the years, Pereira informed that every Sri Lankan wishes to visit Lumbini, the birth place of Lord Buddha in Kathmandu, once in lifetime.

She further informed that the beginning of direct flight services from Kathmandu to Colombo would boost the Nepal-Lanka bilateral ties and tourism in both the nations.

She also raised concern that Nepal-Lanka bilateral trade remains almost negligible despite the existence of Free Trade Agreement, signed in 1979, between the two countries.

On the occasion, Lumbini Buddhist University Vice Chancellor Naresh Man Bajracharya highlighted the prospects of knowledge and information exchange between the two countries, making a special emphasis on educational institutions of both the countries focused on Buddhist education.