Kathmandu, Aug. 27
Oman has expressed its willingness to invest in the tourism
sector in Nepal.
During the meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of
Nepal, Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba, her Omani counterpart, Sayyid Badr Hamad Al
Busaidi, has given a positive indication about investing in the field of
tourism in Nepal, Dr. Rana informed journalists after the bilateral meeting.
Stating that Nepal's natural beauty and heritage can attract
many Omani tourists, Dr. Rana proposed exploring joint possibilities including
facilitating Omani tourists and investment in the tourism sector.
"Preparations will be made for an agreement between the
two countries in the areas of labour, health, tourism and foreign
affairs," she said.
FM Dr. Rana, through FM Al Busaidi, requested the Omani
government and private sector to invest in Nepal as there were many business
opportunities in many areas, including hydropower.
The bilateral meeting between the two foreign ministers
discussed air connectivity, labour related issues, investment, tourism,
diplomatic exchange and all necessary forms of cooperation and coordination
between the two countries.
Foreign Secretary Sewa Lamsal, Secretary of the Ministry of
Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Ganesh Prasad Pandey, Nepali Ambassador to
Oman Dornath Aryal and Omani officials led by the Foreign Minister of Oman
participated in the talks, informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) of
Nepal.
Al Busaidi was on a two-day official visit to Nepal at the
invitation of FM Dr. Rana.
During the talks, Foreign Minister Dr. Rana requested Oman
to operate air flights at Nepal's international airports in Bhairawa and
Pokhara. Earlier, Oman had started air flights to Bhairahawa and stopped them
after a while.
But as the Government of Nepal has decided to provide more
facilities to foreign airlines conducting flight operations to and from those
two airports, FM Dr. Rana requested for the reoperation of flight service.
In response, FM Al Busaidi said that he would reconsider
this matter.
Likewise, Nepal raised the issue of the rights and interests
of Nepali workers and additional labour destinations. "The Nepali side
raised this issue saying that Oman can be a good destination for the Nepali
workers as the labour laws and working environment is good there," said
the MoFA.
The Omani side praised Nepali workers for their diligence
and honesty in their work and assured them that their country would take more
Nepali workers based on their needs. It was agreed that a labour agreement would
be signed between the two countries on this issue.
Al Busaidi concluded his visit to Nepal on Tuesday and
returned to Oman on the same day.
Al Busaidi calls on President, PM
The Foreign Minister of Oman, Sayyid Badr Hamad Al Busaidi
paid a courtesy call to President of Nepal Ramchandra Paudel on Tuesday at the
Office of the President in Maharajgunj.
On the occasion, bilateral relations between Nepal and Oman,
mutual interests and concerns were discussed, the Office of the President
informed in a statement.
The President said that Nepal and Oman have been cooperating
in multilateral and regional forums including the United Nations, Non-Aligned
Movement and Asian Cooperation Dialogue on matters of mutual interest and
concerns, and expressed his belief that such cooperation will continue in the
future.
FM Al Busaidi also called on Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli at
the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers in Singha Durbar
where the two talked about the issues of bilateral interests.
Prime Minister's Chief Advisor Bishnu Prasad Rimal, Foreign
Secretary Sewa Lamsal and other high government officials were present on the
occasion, informed the Prime Minister's Office.
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