Minister Bhandari, Romania's non-resident ambassador meet 

KATHMANDU: Romania's non-resident ambassador to Nepal, Daniela Mariana Sezonov Tane, paid a courtesy visit to Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Damodar Bhandari, on Tuesday.

In the meeting held at the Minister's office, Bhandari expressed his appreciation to the Romanian government for its continued support towards Nepal's socio-economic development initiatives. Nepal and Romania have upheld diplomatic relations since 1968, and the Nepali government is dedicated to further enhancing these ties through cooperation and promoting people-to-people connections, the Minister affirmed. He added that Nepal highly values the support from the European Union and the Romanian government.

The Minister characterised Romania as an important trade partner of Nepal, noting that Nepal imports coated flat-rolled iron, textiles, specially packaged medicine, computers, and other vital goods from Romania. "We are eager to further expand trade relations for mutual benefits," he added.

He expressed confidence that the relations between the two countries will continue to flourish. He also highlighted that Nepal is striving to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs) by 2030. He emphasised that Nepal prioritises trade and investment for economic recovery post-Covid 19. According to him, Nepal seeks significant support, technological assistance, and partnerships from dependable development partners like the EU and Romania for its development endeavours.

Minister Bhandari briefed the ambassador about the recent Nepal Investment Summit (April 28-29), which identified investment sectors and established investor-friendly policies and legal provisions. He invited Romania and Romanian citizens to invest in Nepal and expressed anticipation for increased investment from the EU in Nepal.

On the occasion, Ambassador Tane invited Minister Bhandari to visit Romania. She expressed Romania's interest in investing in sectors such as agriculture, energy, and tourism in Nepal. She also informed Minister Bhandari about the favourable market for Nepali handicrafts in Romania, urging him to promote the export of Nepali handicrafts to Romania.