Nepal, South Africa to strengthen bilateral cooperation

Kathmandu, Mar. 11

Nepal and South Africa have signed a declaration of intent to strengthen bilateral cooperation between the two countries, informed the Embassy of Nepal in Pretoria, South Africa.

Foreign Secretary Bharat Raj Paudyal and Acting Director General of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) of the Republic of South Africa Nonceba Losi signed the declaration on behalf of their respective governments in Pretoria the other day.

Addressing the Signing Ceremony, Paudyal stated that the declaration will provide a fundamental basis for further strengthening of bilateral cooperation between Nepal and South Africa.

He recalled Nepal’s solidarity with the South African people in their struggle for freedom, dignity and equality.

Losi welcomed the Nepali delegation and stated that this day would mark the new beginning in the friendly relations between the two countries. "She appreciated Nepal for firmly standing by the side of South African people in their fight against apartheid," the embassy said in a statement.  

The signing ceremony was followed by the First Nepal-South Africa Bilateral Consultation meeting.

"The meeting discussed issues of bilateral relations, including trade, tourism, foreign direct investment, people-to-people contacts, and cultural cooperation as well as exchange of UN peacekeeping experience," read the statement.

The second meeting of the bilateral consultation mechanism will be held in Kathmandu in 2024.

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Paudyal had a separate meeting today with Deputy Minister for International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa Candith Mashego-Dlamini. Matters, including COVID-19 control, vaccine equity and economic recovery featured during the meeting.

The Nepali delegation led by the Foreign Secretary comprised Harishchandra Ghimire, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gyan Bahadur Magar, Charge´ d'Affaires a.i. at the Embassy of Nepal in Pretoria and other officials of the Ministry and the Embassy. 

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 12 April 2022.