Political Relations
Nepal and Turkey established diplomatic relations on 15 November 1962. The relations between the two countries have remained friendly, cordial and cooperative ever since. Nepal Ambassador to Pakistan is concurrently accredited to Turkey, while the Turkish Ambassador in New Delhi is accredited to Nepal. Nepal maintains a Consulate General in Istanbul.
The two countries have exchanged cooperation to each other on a number of occasions, while they share views in many issues of common interests. In the aftermath of the earthquake of 2015, Turkish aid agencies sent a search and rescue team. The Government of Turkey has been providing few scholarships for junior diplomats.
The MoU on Bilateral Consultation Mechanism was signed on 23 May 2016 by the Foreign Ministers of both the countries.
Exchange of Visits
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Kamal Thapa visited Turkey in connection with the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul from 23-24 May 2016.
The then prime Minister Mr. Jhalanath Khanal paid official visit to Turkey to participate in 4th LDC Conference held in Stanbul in May 2011.
H.E. Ahmet Davutoglu, Foreign Minister of Turkey, visited Nepal in February 2011.
Late Mrs. Sahana Pradhan, the then Minister for Foreign Affairs, visited Turkey in July 2007 to participate in the Ministerial Conference of the LDCs.
Economic and Commercial Relations
Carpets, Pashmina, handicraft items are major Nepali exports to Turkey, while food items and machineries are the major imports from Turkey. Trade figure shows the following trend for the last few years. While comparing the trend, Nepal’s export to Turkey has declined and import from Turkey into Nepal has increased over the years, except for years 2016 and 2017.
(value in NRs.)
| Year | Export | Import | Trade Balance |
| 2015 | 1,379,287,790 | 3,789,979,060 | -2,410,691,270 |
| 2016 | 2,952,201,561 | 1,789,975,561 | 1,162,226,000 |
| 2017 | 4,962,940,732 | 3,387,069,350 | 1,575,871,382 |
| 2018 | 3,889,170,019 | 4,291,723,720 | -402,553,701 |
| 2019 | 1,274,420,758 | 2,989,463,213 | -1,715,042,455 |
(Source: TEPC)
Nepal-Turkey Chamber of Commerce has partnered with the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ICOC) for enhancing trade relationship between the two countries.
As of July 2020, there were 25 companies registered with foreign direct investment from Turkey, with a cumulative investment of NRs. 1.9 billion. The investment has generated 833 employment opportunities.
Tourism and culture
Nepal and Turkey signed the Air Service Agreement in September 2010, opening a new avenue connecting Europe and Nepal. Turkish Airlines has been operating direct flights between Kathmandu and Istanbul from 2013. Although the tourist visiting from Turkey to Nepal is limited to a few thousands, there is strong possibility of increasing this number through promotional activities. Turkish tourists have shown interest in trekking, mountaineering and other entertainment activities. Growing people-to-people and business contacts between the two countries have brought the two countries further closer.
Europe and the Americas Division
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
August 2020