KATHMANDU: An agreement has been signed between Nepal and Bangladesh for the exchange of news and information and mutual cooperation between government media of both countries.

A decision to this effect was taken during the meeting between Minister for Information and Communications Sherdhan Rai and his Bangladeshi counterpart Hasanul Haq Inu in the Capital today.

During the meeting, both Rai and Inu agreed in principle to sign an agreement in the near future to exchange news and information among Nepal’s government media - Rastriya Samachar Samiti (RSS), Radio Nepal and Nepal Television - and Bangladesh’s government media - Bangladesh Sangbad Samiti (BSS), Bangladesh Betar (BB) and Bangladesh Television.

As per the agreement, information ministers of Nepal and Bangladesh will direct bodies concerned to cooperate between the RSS and the BSS in the first phase.

Likewise, the process to exchange news and information among government media of both the countries like radio and television would be initiated in the second phase.

During the meeting, the ministers of both countries pledged to direct bodies concerned to initiate due process in relation to the agreement immediately.

On the occasion, Minister Rai said that the government was interested in working in collaboration with the Press Institute of Bangladesh and various universities offering the course of mass communications and journalism in Bangladesh to strengthen the Institute of Mass Communications to be operated in the near future and make it professional.

Similarly, stating that more than 27,000 Bangladeshi tourists visit Nepal every year and more than 2,000 Nepali students go to Bangladesh to pursue medical studies on a yearly basis, Minister Inu said that Bangladeshi government was interested in further consolidating relations between both the countries at the public level.

The Bangladeshi Minister meanwhile invited minister Rai to visit Bangladesh at his convenient time.

On the occasion, Bangladeshi Ambassador to Nepal Mashfee Binte Shams and senior officials of Embassy of Bangladeshi in Nepal were present.