Kathmandu, 19 April (H.S.):

Narayan Prasad Dahal, Chairperson of Nepal’s National Assembly (Upper House of Parliament), held a courtesy meeting with Numan Kurtulmus, Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, in Istanbul on Sunday. The encounter took place on the sidelines of the 152nd General Assembly of the Inter‑Parliamentary Union (IPU), where Chairperson Dahal is leading a Nepali parliamentary delegation.

According to the National Assembly Secretariat, the two leaders discussed the overall state of Nepal‑Türkiye relations, shared interests, and opportunities to deepen parliamentary cooperation. Chairperson Dahal underlined the importance of strengthening bilateral ties through structured parliamentary engagement, stressing that closer legislative collaboration would help cement political trust and mutual understanding between the two countries.

Dahal expressed interest in the regular exchange of parliamentary best practices, reciprocal visits of parliamentary delegations, and the formal establishment of a Nepal–Türkiye Parliamentary Friendship Group. Such a framework, he said, would provide a sustained institutional channel for dialogue on governance reforms, regional issues, and global parliamentary initiatives.

Recalling that Nepal and Türkiye have maintained cordial, respect‑based diplomatic relations for more than six decades, Dahal urged Ankara to open a Turkish diplomatic mission in Kathmandu. At present, Turkish consular and diplomatic matters concerning Nepali citizens are handled from India, which necessitates travel to New Delhi for visas, documentation, and other services.

Dahal said that if Turkey were to establish an embassy in Nepal and formalise a labour‑migration agreement between the two countries, cooperation in trade, education, and labour mobility would become significantly smoother and more people‑centred. He also expressed gratitude to the Turkish government and parliament for the hospitality and warm reception extended to the Nepali delegation during the IPU assembly.

On his part, Numan Kurtulmus welcomed the Nepali parliamentary delegation and underscored Ankara’s keen interest in further broadening bilateral engagement. He highlighted that the Turkish government already provides a limited number of scholarship slots to Nepali students each year and reaffirmed commitment to expanding educational opportunities for young Nepalis.

Kurtulmus also reiterated Türkiye’s interest in enhancing trade and investment ties with Nepal, noting that deeper economic relations would mutually benefit both societies. The meeting was widely seen as a step toward consolidating a more structured, high‑level parliamentary‑level dialogue between Nepal and Türkiye, even as both countries seek to reimagine their engagement in the evolving South‑Asia–West‑Asia security and connectivity landscape.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar