Kathmandu, Nov. 19
Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Narayan Khadka and visiting Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs of the Department of State of the USA Donald Lu discussed about effective climate action and the need for financing adaptation and mitigation measures.
In a meeting held on Friday at the Ministry in Singha Durbar, they acknowledged the adverse impacts of climate change on climate vulnerable mountainous countries like Nepal.
Minister Dr. Khadka received the visiting US delegation led by Lu on Friday afternoon, informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) in a statement.
They exchanged views on the longstanding US cooperation to Nepal, including Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) projects that could be important for the country’s economic development.
During the meeting, discussions were held on wide areas of Nepal-US friendship and cooperation. The Foreign Minister thanked the US Government for valuable medical support including vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic, said the MoFA.
The conversation also covered various areas of Nepal’s development priorities as well as the role of trade and investment in the post-pandemic economic recovery.
Conveying to the Foreign Minister the congratulatory message from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Lu looked forward to working closely with the MoFA on matters of mutual interests.
He also assured Nepal of the continued US cooperation to Nepal.
Meanwhile, Lu paid a courtesy call on Minister for Home Affairs Bal Krishna Khand at the Ministry in Singha Durbar also on Friday.
During the meeting, Nepal-US relations and various partnerships were discussed, according to a press release issued by the Ministry.
According to Minister Khand’s press coordinator Madhusudan Bhattarai, discussions were held on cooperation in the COVID-19 pandemic, Nepal's development priorities, and the US assistance to Nepal's social and economic development.
At the meeting, US Ambassador to Nepal Randy Berry was also present.
The meeting also discussed the impact of climate change on Nepal's economy and the works to be done for its solution.
On the occasion, Minister Khand thanked the United States for providing assistance in Nepal's fight against COVID-19. He expressed confidence that the US government would also help in the post-COVID-19 economic recovery.
Thanking Assistant Secretary Lu for his visit to Nepal, Home Minister Khand expressed confidence that the visit would take the relationship between Nepal and the United States to a new height.
Meanwhile, Lu paid a call on chairman of CPN (Maoist Centre) Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda also on Friday. Prachanda told Lu that Nepal would decide about the MCC – Nepal Compact Programme-- by December 14.
"We don't want the project to return from Nepal because the country needs a huge investment in infrastructure development. However, some points in the original draft are changed which has created confusion. An all-party meeting will have the final say about the project," he said.
Likewise, Lu met with chairman of the main opposition party CPN-UML KP Sharma Oli. During the meeting, Oli said that his party would make a decision on the MCC after the government's say on it.
In the meeting, Lu expressed the US interest in extending cooperation in the clean energy sector.
Deputy leader of the UML Subas Nembang, and Dr. Bishnu Rimal and Dr. Rajan Bhattarai were also present in the meeting held at the office of the UML Parliamentary Party in Singha Durbar this morning.
Assistant Secretary Lu arrived in Nepal on an official visit to Nepal on Wednesday.
Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 20 November 2021.
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