Nepal and Sri Lanka are signing an air service agreement within two weeks to resume direct flights between the two countries by December. 

The agreement was reached during talks in Nepal between Foreign Secretary Dr. Palitha Kohana, Nepal Prime Minister Madhav Kumar and Nepal Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala on Monday.

Regular flights were established between the two countries in 1976 which Nepal discontinued unilaterally.

According to Rajan Bhattarai, foreign affairs adviser to the prime minister, Nepal and Sri Lanka are considering establishing a joint commission at the foreign minister level and areas of cooperation will be widened after the commission is set up. 

Health, education, tourism and trade and investment have been identified as the key areas for cooperation to boost bilateral relations.

During the visit of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa in March, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the foreign ministers to constitute a joint commission. Other aspects of bilateral relations including SAARC also figured during the meeting, he said. 

The Sri Lankan foreign secretary also met with Foreign Minister Koirala and discussed making the joint mechanism more functional and effective. (eKantipur)

Courtesy: dailymirror.lk