October 8: Nepal and Romania have signed a memorandum of understanding in the fields of labour and social protection.

The two countries signed the MoU at the Ministry of Labour and Social Solidarity of Romania on Friday, October 6.    
Minister for Labour, Employment and Social Security of Nepal Sharat Singh Bhandari and Minister for Labour and Social Solidarity of Romania Simona Bucura-Oprescu, signed the MoU on behalf of their respective governments.    
The signing of the MoU was preceded by a bilateral meeting between the high-level    
delegations, states a press release issued by the Embassy of Nepal in Berlin, Germany.     On the occasion, the two ministers shared views, primarily, on the agenda of     
Nepal-Romania bilateral relations, labour migration, Nepal's commitment to legal migration, workers' welfare, dignity, security, and vocational training.    

During the meeting, the two ministers expressed happiness over the growing relations between the two countries in recent years and stated that the signing of tfie MoU would be the first step in the roadmap towards fair, ethical, and legal migration of Nepali workers to Romania.    
Minister Bhandari also expressed his willingness to collaborate with the friendly Government of Romania in all sectors of mutual benefits. He further stated that Nepal is aware of gender-friendly recruitment approach and is ready to cooperate on this matter.    
Bucura-Oprescu also assured the visiting delegation that the Nepali workers working legally in Romania are entitled to equal rights as that of Romanian citizens. The Romanian side informed the Nepali delegation regarding the need of Romanian labour market, especially in the fields of construction, services, hospitality and agriculture.    
As of now, 15,590 Nepali workers are employed in Romania which is the second largest among the foreign citizens from non-EU countries in Romania.    
The Nepali delegation led by Minister Bhandari includes Secretary of the Ministry of Labour; Employment and Social Security, Ram Kaji Khadka, Non-resident Ambassador of Nepal to Romania, and other officials from the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.    
 The Romanian delegation led by Minister Bucura-Oprescu includes high level officials and heads of relevant departments from the Ministry of Labour and Social Solidarity.    
The Nepali delegation is scheduled to leave for Germany on 8 October. -- RSS