Kathmandu, May 13 Nepal and the Republic of Guinea have established diplomatic relations. Durga Prasad Bhattarai, permanent representative of Nepal to the United Nations, and Mamadi Toure, permanent representative of the Republic of Guinea to the United Nations, signed an agreement to this effect at a special ceremony held at the Permanent Mission of Nepal in New York yesterday. With the establishment of diplomatic ties with Guinea, Nepal now has diplomatic relations with with a total of 143 countries. On the occasion, the two diplomats said the signing of the agreement marked a milestone in the bilateral relations between the two countries. It is believed the establishment of diplomatic relations would help strengthen cooperation between the two countries at the United Nations and various other multilateral forums at global and regional levels in promoting international peace, security and development. The two ambassadors also jointly informed Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-Moon about the establishment of Nepal-Republic of Guinea diplomatic ties the same day. It is noted that the Republic of Guinea is a country situated in Western Africa with a population of 11,780,162. Guinea’s economy is largely dependent on agriculture and mineral production. Guinea has abundant natural resources, including large bauxite reserves, diamond, gold, and other metals. Guinea had joined the United Nations on 12 December 1958. Both Nepal and Guinea are members of the Group of 77.