'Economic diplomacy will be given priority'

Kathmandu, July 12:

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Krishna Bahadur Mahara Wednesday said that economic diplomacy would be given priority in order to attract more foreign investment to Nepal and promote trade in the international market.

In an interaction with journalists at his office in Singha Durbar, he said that he would try to enhance the capacity of the Economic Sections of the Nepali diplomatic missions abroad in order to attract investment and tourism while promoting the export of Nepali goods.

“The government has a strategy to effectively mobilise the country’s diplomatic missions abroad in support of the economic development at home. We have given a high priority to economic diplomacy,” he said.

According to the DPM, Nepal has a very good international image but it needs to place its products and attractions strategically so that it serves the country’s national interests.

“However, first of all, we will need to keep our house in order. We must be strong enough to put forward our demands in the regional and international forums. We must work with a higher level of confidence,” he said.

Mahara hinted that he would visit China in the near future, and said that the northern neighbor was positive about the visit of its high officials to Nepal.

He said he was working for a balanced relationship with both the neighbours, India and China.

He said that there would be not much of a change at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) even though the country fully implemented federalism. However, he added, the ministry had formed a body to look after the foreign affairs in the federal structure.

Meanwhile, in a meeting with the delegation of the Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI), Mahara said that the government was committed to creating economic diplomats to enhance economic diplomacy.

CNI has suggested the MoFA should implement country-wise economic diplomacy, reduce trade dependency on India, and prepare an effective plan for export promotion.

According to a press statement issued by the CNI, its president Hari Bhakta Sharma recommended formation of a taskforce to study the impact of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), implemented by India recently, on the Nepali economy.

Meanwhile, ambassador of Thailand, Kyrgyzstan and Israel, Bhakavat Tanskul, Samargiul Adamkulova and Yaron Mayer respectively called on the DPM.

Kyrgyz ambassador Adamkulova invited Mahara to participate in the International Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Forum – Summit 2017, which was going to be held in Kyrgyzstan.

Israeli ambassador Mayer said that the performance of Nepali workers in Israel was excellent and his country was willing to develop people-to-people relations with Nepal.