March 9, 2022
1 min read

India, Bangladesh, Nepal finalise MoU to boost trade and connectivity

The Asian Development Bank provided technical and knowledge support to the meeting…reports Asian Lite News

India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal held a two-day meeting here to discuss passenger and cargo protocols to operationalise the BBIN Motor Vehicles Agreement (MVA) for the regulation of passenger, personal and cargo vehicular traffic among the participant countries, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Tuesday.

Bhutan participated as an observer in the meeting.

According to MEA officials, this BBIN (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal) agreement was signed on June 15, 2015 and the last meeting was held in February 2020 in New Delhi.

During the meeting, an enabling MoU was finalised to be signed by India, Bangladesh and Nepal for implementation of the BBIN MVA by the three countries, pending ratification of the MVA by Bhutan.

Recalling the commitments made at the highest level for the implementation of the BBIN MVA, the delegations expressed their desire to sign the MoU at the earliest to give momentum to the implementation.

The participating countries emphasised the importance of operationalising the BBIN MVA expeditiously to enable seamless movement between them for facilitating trade and people-to-people contact, officials said.

“Operationalising the MVA by concluding the ‘Passenger and the Cargo Protocol’ will help realise the full potential of trade and people to people connectivity between the BBIN countries by fostering greater sub-regional cooperation,” the MEA said in a statement on Tuesday.

The delegates also agreed on specific steps and timelines to expeditiously finalise the passenger and cargo protocols for the implementation of the BBIN MVA.

The Asian Development Bank provided technical and knowledge support to the meeting.

The Indian delegation was led by MEA Joint Secretary Smita Pant, while the Bangladesh delegation was led by Director General (South Asia) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, A.T.M. Rokebul Haque.

The Nepalese delegation was led by Keshab Kumar Sharma, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, while the Bhutanese observer team was led by Thinley Norbu, First Secretary, Royal Bhutanese Embassy in New Delhi.

ALSO READ-Hasina thanks Modi for evacuating Bangladeshis

Previous Story

Unable to find work, women pushed to fringes in Bengal

Next Story

Russian Ruble in freefall

Latest from -Top News

Uganda’s President Museveni to seek reelection

The upcoming general elections will not only determine the presidency but also see voters elect lawmakers to the national assembly Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni is set to seek reelection for another term

Eritrea seeks to end UN probe into abuses

The mandate in question is held by the Special Rapporteur, a position currently occupied by Sudanese human rights lawyer Mohamed Abdelsalam Babiker In a rare and potentially precedent-setting move, Eritrea is attempting

Alps Turn to ‘Swiss Cheese’

Switzerland’s reliance on glacial runoff for hydroelectric power faces growing risk — as glaciers shrink, short-term water flow may rise, but long-term shortages could threaten energy and water supplies. Switzerland’s glaciers —

Burn Notice for Europe

As summer unfolds, Europe is bracing for what may be the first of many extreme heatwaves. Europe braced for its first major heatwave of the northern hemisphere summer on Saturday, with soaring
Go toTop

Don't Miss

Lankan Leader in India for Modi’s Swearing-In

Ranil Wickremesinghe was welcomed by P Kumaran, the Officer on

Maldives’ opposition parties to boycott Muizzu’s statement

The majority-holding MDP in parliament has not yet disclosed the