Kathmandu, September 4
Bangladesh has provided US$1 million in financial assistance to Nepal to support relief, recovery and humanitarian efforts following the devastating floods and landslides that hit northern Nepal last week.
The Bangladesh government has contributed the amount to Nepal’s Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund, according to the Embassy of Bangladesh in Kathmandu.
The assistance is equivalent to around 12.3 crore Bangladeshi taka and approximately Rs 152 million.
Bangladesh State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir conveyed the decision to Nepal’s Ambassador to Bangladesh Ghanshyam Bhandari on Thursday while handing over a letter from Prime Minister Tarique Rahman addressed to Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah.
Bangladesh has also expressed solidarity with Nepal following the disaster.
On September 1, State Minister Kabir signed the condolence book at the Embassy of Nepal in Dhaka.
The Bangladesh National Parliament had earlier adopted a condolence motion on August 27 over the disaster, expressing grief and sympathy for those killed and missing. Parliament observed a minute of silence and offered prayers for the victims.
The parliament also urged the Bangladeshi government to take urgent steps to provide assistance to Nepal following the disaster.
Following the flash floods on August 26, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman expressed Bangladesh’s solidarity with the government and people of Nepal and conveyed condolences to the victims in a message to Prime Minister Shah.
Bangladesh President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir also expressed condolences over the loss of life and destruction caused by the disaster.
Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman also spoke by telephone with his Nepali counterpart, Shishir Khanal, on August 27. During the conversation, he assured Nepal of Bangladesh’s readiness to provide assistance and discussed ways to extend humanitarian support.
The Bangladeshi government said its assistance reflects the longstanding friendship and close relations between the two countries and its solidarity with the people of Nepal during the disaster.
