Turkey Signals Readiness to Open Embassy in Nepal During Parliamentary Talks

Context: Nepal’s National Assembly Chairperson Narayan Prasad Dahal met Turkey’s Speaker Numan Kurtulmus in Istanbul on the sidelines of the 152nd Inter‑Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly. The IPU is a global organization of national parliaments that promotes democratic governance. Their meeting focused on strengthening bilateral relations, parliamentary cooperation and mutual welfare. The IPU gathering brings together legislators from over 170 countries to discuss peace, development and cooperation.

Key Facts: Dahal reminded that Nepal and Turkey have maintained diplomatic relations for sixty years and urged Turkey to open an embassy in Nepal to further deepen ties. Kurtulmus said the Turkish government is favorable to establishing an embassy in Nepal. He also noted that Turkey will host COP‑31, the 31st Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, in November and requested Nepal’s support for its leadership of the conference.

Scholarship and trade: Kurtulmus also pointed out that Turkey provides a limited quota of educational scholarships to Nepali students and said Ankara is prepared to increase that number. He added that both governments see scope to raise bilateral trade volumes, which have remained modest in recent years.

What It Means: The embassy proposal signals a concrete step toward upgrading diplomatic presence, which could facilitate trade, educational exchanges and consular services for citizens of both countries. Turkey’s request for Nepal’s backing at COP‑31 shows Ankara’s desire to leverage regional support in climate negotiations. Both sides highlighted existing scholarship quotas and expressed interest in increasing them, pointing to potential growth in people‑to‑people links.

What to watch next: Officials from Ankara and Kathmandu will likely follow up on embassy feasibility studies and coordinate Nepal’s position ahead of the COP‑31 summit in November.