DHAKA, Bangladesh –Nepal's visiting Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Kaji Shrestha called on Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official residence in Dhaka on Sunday (August 5th), local media reported.

Emphasising the importance Bangladesh places on relations with Nepal, Hasina said ties had improved over the last three and a half years, The Financial Express said.

She called for expanded trade for the benefit of both countries and co-operation in the water sector, her press secretary Abul Kalam Azad told reporters after the meeting.

Hasina said Nepal and India could collaborate in water resources management for the augmentation of dry season flows, flood mitigation and the production of hydroelectricity, The Express said.

Shrestha was in Dhaka at the invitation of his Bangladeshi counterpart Dipu Moni to attend a two-day conference hosted by Bangladesh on "People's Empowerment and Development".

The conference, held Sunday and Monday, was attended by delegations from 60 countries, as well as officials from the United Nations and other international organisations. It focused on eradicating poverty and hunger, reducing inequality and accelerating social development, according to The Kathmandu Post.