Nepal Tourism Minister Rabindra Adhikari and Cambodia Minister of the Secretariat of Civil Aviation Mao Havanall signed the milestone agreement which will now facilitate operation of 14 weekly flights between Nepal and Cambodia.

Moreover, Nepal-Cambodia ASA will allow both countries airlines to launch commercial flights.

“There will be no restriction on cargo flights,” informed Suresh Acharya, Joint Secretary, Tourism Ministry.

The agreement also makes room for code-sharing including third-party code-sharing, wherein airlines of both countries can partner with other countries’ airlines to provide services in the respective markets.

Earlier in 2015, Cambodian officials had expressed their desire to establish air links with Nepal, especially with the upcoming Gautam Buddha International Airport, Bhairahawa during the International  Civil Aviation  Organization (ICAO) Air Services Negotiation Event in Turkey’s Atalya.

The Buddhist Circuit
The Bhairahawa airport project is being constructed with an aim to facilitate international pilgrimage to Lumbini besides catering to the region’s fast rising business and industrial hub.

The Nepal Government plans to make this pride project operational from 2019 with the goal of welcoming 2 million tourists under the Visit Nepal 2020 campaign.

“The ASA is expected to bring Cambodian airlines to Gautam Buddha International Airport in the near future. With the signing of the first ASA, both the countries can mutually benefit in terms of tourism,” said Pramod Nepal, Under Secretary, Tourism Ministry.

Additionally, the government is planning to promote Buddhist pilgrimage in a big way and that’s why the Bhairahawa project is important.

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a World Bank member, opines that the Buddhist Circuit including Nepal and India is an important pilgrimage site for 450 million existing Buddhists and travelers interested in the culture.

Following are the forms of Buddhism practiced by Asian countries:

• Mahayana Buddhism – East Asian Buddhism with 185 million followers

It is also the most predominant form of Buddhism practiced in China, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and Vietnam.

• Thervada Buddhism – Over 125 million followers

It is predominantly practiced in the Cambodia, India, Laos, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

• Vajrayana Buddhism – Approx 20 million followers

It is practiced in greater Tibetian and Mongolian regions, Bhutan, parts of Western China, the Himalayas, the Russian Federation and China.

In 2018, Nepal has signed air agreements with Japan, India and Australia. Very recently, Nepal also became the 135^th Montreal Convention member. These and many other developments prove that Nepal aviation has a bright future.

Lat but not the least, Nepal-Cambodia also signed an agreement to promote bilateral cooperation and cultural exchange between both countries.

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The new route launched by the Bihar Chief Minister (CM) Nitish Kumar India’s Patna & Bodh Gaya and Nepal’s Kathmandu & Janakpur cities.

According to Bihar Transport Secretary Sanjay Kumar Agarwal, a total of eight buses will run in three routes covering the two countries: Patna-Kathmandu, Patna-Janakpur and Bodh Gaya-Kathmandu.

The new bus service is the result of a public-private partnership commissioned post an agreement between India and Nepal in the past, which includes two different meetings in New Delhi and Kathmandu that led to singing of a tripartite agreement between Nepal, Indian External Affairs Ministry and the Government of Bihar.

“This bus service will further strengthen the relations between India and Nepal. It will prove very beneficial for Buddhist tourists in the two places,” reads a statement by Nitish Kumar.

Besides boosting the tourism aspect of Buddhist Circuit, the new service will also help thousands of travellers moving between India and Nepal, say the officials.

Prior to this, Nepali PM KP Sharma Oli and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi had jointly launched a direct bus transport between Janakpur and Ayodhya on May 11, 2018 under the Ramayana Circuit.

The new service will begin on September 13, 2018. Hope more such initiatives would come up strengthening Indo-Nepal ties in all aspects.

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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.

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