SASEC border customs meeting concludes

By Bishnu Prasad Pokhrel,Damak, Sept. 21: The fourth meeting of the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) border customs concluded in Dhulabari of Jhapa district on Wednesday. 

The meeting of border customs officials was organised by Mechi Customs Office and the Department of Customs in coordination with the SASEC secretariat to facilitate trade between Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal.

Ram Prasad Regmi, head of Mechi Customs Office, said that the meeting had objectives of identifying problems at the border customs, sharing good customs practices related to each country, solving issues observed at the border customs and enhancing mutual relations through direct discussions among the customs administrators of the border. 

Similarly, bilateral and trilateral meetings were held between Nepal-India, Nepal-Bangladesh, Nepal-Bhutan, India-Bangladesh, India-Bhutan, Nepal-Bangladesh-India and Bangladesh-India-Bhutan.

Regmi informed that the participants had committed to facilitating the work of border customs administration by identifying existing problems in customs administration and trade facilitation. He added that Nepal as the host of the meeting for the first time, would benefit from it. 

In the meeting, there were two representatives from Bangladesh Customs Office, the first secretary of the Bangladesh Embassy in Nepal, three representatives of Bhutan Customs Office, six representatives of the Indian Customs Office including the Indian Ambassadors in Nepal and three representatives from Nepal Customs Office.