As world leaders attended Bangladesh’s new prime minister Tarique Rahman’s oath-taking ceremony in Bangladesh, Nepal’s Foreign Minister Bala Nanda Sharma attended the oath-taking ceremony of the newly elected prime minister and members of the Council of Ministers at the Jatiya Sangsad complex in Dhaka.
The oath of office was administered by President Mohammed Shahabuddin at a special ceremony held on the National Parliament premises.
According to the report published in Daily Sun on18 Feb 2026, after the official ceremony, Nepal’s Foreign Minister Bala Nanda Sharma called on Bangladesh’s newly elected Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Tuesday evening, conveying warm congratulations and a message from Nepal’s Prime Minister Sushila Karki.
During the meeting, Sharma handed over a congratulatory letter from the Nepali prime minister, who extended her best wishes to Tarique on his election victory, the Nepalese Embassy in Dhaka said in a Facebook post.
Minister Sharma is on an official visit to Bangladesh from 16 to 19 February.
In her message, she expressed Nepal’s willingness to work closely with Bangladesh in a spirit of mutual respect, shared commitment, and partnership to further strengthen bilateral ties for the benefit of both countries and their peoples.
The foreign minister also congratulated Tarique on leading the Bangladesh Nationalist Party to a decisive victory in the national elections held on 12 February.
He commended the interim government for the successful conduct of the polls and the smooth democratic transition.
Prime Minister Tarique thanked the Nepalese foreign minister for attending the oath-taking ceremony and said the visit reflected the solidarity and goodwill of the government and people of Nepal toward Bangladesh
The two leaders reaffirmed their shared commitment to further strengthening the longstanding partnership between Nepal and Bangladesh. They discussed enhancing cooperation in trade, investment, energy, connectivity, education, tourism and other areas of mutual interest.
PM Tarique also conveyed his best wishes for Nepal’s upcoming parliamentary elections.
During his visit, the Nepalese foreign minister also met the Leader of the Opposition and Ameer of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Shafiqur Rahman, where they discussed key areas of bilateral cooperation.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Sharma also met with newly-appointed Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman on Wednesday evening.
Both the ministers discussed ways to enhance bilateral ties particularly in the areas of economic interest: trade, energy, connectivity and tourism.
During the meeting, Foreign Minister Sharma and Rahman reaffirmed their commitment to work closely across bilateral, regional, and multilateral platforms, advancing the shared interests of the two countries and peoples, reads a statement issued by the Nepal Embassy in Dhaka.
Bala Nanda Sharma congratulated his Bangladesh counterpart Khalilur Rahman on being appointed by the BNP-led government.
Both sides reviewed the longstanding relationship between Nepal and Bangladesh, anchored in good neighbourliness, shared aspirations, and deep cultural connections.
On behalf of Bangladesh, also present in the meeting were: State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaid Islam, Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam, and Israt Jahan, director general of South Asia Wing at the Foreign Ministry.
The Nepalese foreign minister was accompanied by the country’s Ambassador to Bangladesh Ghanshyam Bhandari, the Embassy’s Joint Secretary Gahendra Rajbhandari, Deputy Chief of Mission Lalita Silwal, and Under Secretary Madhusudan Bhattarai.
