KATHMANDU, Feb. 2 -- The European Union (EU) has offered close cooperation during the transition period following Nepal's graduation from the category of a Least Developed Country (LDC) to a middle-income country.

The EU pledged its support to help Nepal graduate from the LDC smoothly during the 14th Joint Commission (JC) meeting of Nepal and the EU held in Brussels on Wednesday.

The EU and Nepal discussed bilateral trade relations in light of Nepal's future graduation from LDC status in 2026. Nepal has expressed its desire to diversify its exports to the EU, make full use of the benefits offered by the "Everything But Arms" trading regime, while preparing to apply for the EU Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) arrangement.

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