Kathmandu, Dec. 16: Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar
Gyawali is leaving Kathmandu on Monday morning for an official visit to the
United States of America.
The high level exchange is happening after 17 years,
erstwhile US Secretary of State Colin Powell had visited Nepal in 2002, and
then Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Kamal Thapa had met
US Foreign Minister John Kerry at his office in Washington DC in April 2016.
Gyawali will hold a bilateral meeting with the US
Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo in Washington DC on Tuesday, said the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA).
One the same day, Foreign Secretary Shankar Das
Bairagi will hold consultation with the US delegation led by Principal Deputy
Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia Affairs at the Department of
State Ambassador Alice G. Wells.
During his visit, Gyawali will also have meetings
with high-level officials from the White House, United States Agency for
International Development (USAID) and Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC),
among others.
MoFA said that bilateral trade between the two
countries will also be discussed in the meetings.
Nepal has trade surplus with the USA. Nepal exported
goods worth 87 million dollars in the first 10 months of 2018 and imported
goods worth 47.2 million dollar.
In an attempt to support Nepal in economic recovery
in the aftermath of the 2015 Gorkha Earthquake, the USA implemented
Nepal-specific duty-free programme in December 2016 which allows the duty-free
entry of 66 Nepali products such as carpets and rugs, shawls, luggage articles,
handbags, blankets and hats.
Similarly, the US is the third major sources of
tourists for Nepal, 82,870 US citizens visited Nepal in the 9 months this year.
About 73,650 Americans came to Nepal in 2017.
Nepal is also receiving the US development support
in the sectors like transport, communication, public health, family planning,
agriculture, forestry and energy through the USAID, said MoFA.
The Nepali delegation consists of Ambassador of
Nepal to the USA Dr. Arjun Kumar Karki, joint secretaries from the Ministry of
Finance and Ministry of Home Affairs, and official from the MoFA and Embassy of
Nepal in Washington DC.
The Minister-led delegation will return to Kathmandu
on Friday, December 21.
Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 17 December 2018.
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