Chairperson of Nepal’s National Assembly, Narayan Prasad Dahal, held a courtesy meeting with the Speaker of Türkiye’s parliament, Numan Kurtulmuş, in Istanbul.
Chairperson Dahal is currently in Istanbul to attend the 152nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. During the meeting, the two leaders discussed bilateral relations, mutual interests, and parliamentary cooperation, according to Dahal’s secretariat.
Dahal emphasized the need to further strengthen and deepen ties between Nepal and Türkiye through enhanced parliamentary collaboration. He expressed Nepal’s interest in expanding exchanges of parliamentary experience, official visits, and forming parliamentary friendship groups.
Highlighting that diplomatic relations between the two countries have been based on goodwill and mutual respect for over six decades, Dahal urged Türkiye to establish an embassy in Nepal. He noted that Nepal currently has to rely on Türkiye-related services through New Delhi, which creates inconvenience. He also stressed the importance of signing a labor agreement and expressed confidence that establishing a Turkish embassy in Nepal would further ease cooperation.
Dahal thanked the Turkish government and parliament for their warm hospitality during the IPU Assembly. In response, Speaker Kurtulmuş expressed खुशी (happiness) at welcoming Dahal and the Nepali parliamentary delegation to Istanbul and reaffirmed Türkiye’s commitment to strengthening bilateral ties. He also conveyed a positive stance toward opening a Turkish embassy in Nepal.
Additionally, Kurtulmuş noted that Türkiye currently provides a limited number of educational scholarships for Nepali students and expressed commitment to increasing the quota and boosting trade between the two countries. He also mentioned that the upcoming COP31 will be held in Türkiye next November and requested Nepal’s support for its leadership.
Members of the Nepali parliamentary delegation attending the IPU Assembly were also present at the meeting.
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