Kathmandu, Sept. 30
Foreign Secretary, Bharat
Raj Paudyal, has called for more investment and technology from Canada in
Nepal’s hydropower, a vital source of clean energy.
At the third meeting of
Nepal-Canada Bilateral Consultation Mechanism (BCM) held in Ottawa on Thursday,
he cited the contribution made by Canadian Climate Fund for the Private Sector
in Asia II (CFPS II) in the financing of Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower project, and
said that Nepal needed more such supports.
According to the Embassy
of Nepal in Ottawa, Paudyal and Assistant Deputy Minister of Global Affairs
Canada, Paul Thoppil, had led their respective delegations to the meeting.
“During the meeting, the
two sides discussed a range of matters of bilateral interest that included development
cooperation, trade and investment, education, culture and tourism as well as
environment and climate change, among others,” the embassy said in a statement.
Paudyal updated the
Canadian side about Nepal’s development priorities, graduation from the LDC
category and the efforts made towards meeting the UN Sustainable Development
Goals. He underscored the need of enhanced level of cooperation from Canada in
terms of resources and technology for Nepal’s smooth and sustainable transition
from the LDC status.
The Canadian side
expressed its readiness to support Nepal in its development pursuits and
highlighted its feminist international assistance policy.
Foreign Secretary Paudyal
thanked Canada for their generous support of vaccines and essential medical equipment
to Nepal during the difficult time of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The two sides reviewed the
progress made since the second meeting of the BCM held in December 2020. They
agreed to work closely towards further deepening and widening cooperation and
engagements in identified sectors for mutual benefit, the embassy said in a
statement.
In view of growing size of
Nepali diaspora in Canada and increasing people-to-people contacts between the
two countries, Foreign Secretary Paudyal requested Canada to consider
establishing Canadian representation in Nepal and making arrangements for the
issuance of visas in Kathmandu.
Nepali delegation included
Bhrigu Dhungana, Ambassador of Nepal to Canada as well as officials of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of Nepal in Canada. The Canadian
delegation consisted of officials of the Global Affairs Canada, including
Director General (South Asia) and the Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of
Canada in India, which is concurrently accredited to Nepal. The next meeting of
the mechanism will be held in Kathmandu in 2024.
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