Hon. Dr. Prakash Sharan Mahat, Minister for Foreign Affairs and the leader of Nepali delegation to the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly, participated in the 15th annual Ministerial Meeting of the Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) held in New York today. Speaking at the same Meeting, H.E. Mr. Durga Prasad Bhattarai, Ambassador/Permanent Representative of Nepal to the United Nations, highlighted the importance of implementing the Vienna Programme of Action (VPOA) for the LLDCs effectively in full synergy and perfect coherence with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and other internationally agreed goals and targets. He also highlighted the importance of transit cooperation in the context of special needs of global attention and support for the LLDCs.
The Hon. Minister also attended the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) Ministerial Meeting held in New York today. While participating in the discussions, Hon. Dr. Mahat emphasized on placing poverty eradication on the forefront of ACD agenda, mentioning that poverty anywhere is a threat to prosperity everywhere. He also stressed on the potentials of regional cooperation in the areas of energy, connectivity, tourism and culture. While highlighting the special needs of LDCs and LLDCs, the Minister underlined the importance of promoting inclusive, equitable and sustainable development at the regional level through the effective implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Hon. Minister expressed his confidence that the region would be able to attain SDGs by the set timeframe as the 2030 Agenda provides a framework for promoting inclusive, equitable and sustainable development at the regional level through our constructive and collaborative efforts.
Also on the sidelines of the General Assembly today, the visiting Head of the Nepali Delegation Hon. Dr. Mahat met various world leaders and discussed matters of common interest. He called on H.E. Mr. Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister of Pakistan. The discussion between the two leaders featured various matters including ongoing preparations for the 19th SAARC Summit in Pakistan and promoting trade and investments in Nepal.
The Hon. Minister held a bilateral meeting with his Norwegian counterpart H.E. Mr. Børge Brende. During the meeting the two foreign ministers discussed ways and means to further strengthening the bilateral relations and cooperation on matters of mutual interest. The Hon. Minister informed him about the ongoing reconstruction work in Nepal in response to the Norwegian minister’s interest in knowing more about it.
H.E. Mr. Alok Sharma, the British Minister for Asia, called on the Hon. Foreign Minister and exchanged views on bilateral and multilateral issues including Nepal's recent political developments, trade and investment situation in Nepal and the possible impact on Nepal's trade with the UK following Brexit, post-retirement benefits of ex-Gurkhas prior to 1997, among others. Similarly, US Under-Secretary of State H.E. Thomas Shannon paid a courtesy call on the Hon. Minister. During the occasion, the two sides touched on a wide range of matters on bilateral relations. The ongoing post-disaster reconstruction and progress in the implementation of the Constitution of Nepal also figured during the meeting.
Earlier today, the Hon. Dr. Mahat attended the Ministerial Breakfast of the Group of Friends of Mediation jointly organized by Finland and Turkey in New York. Speaking in the programme, he shared Nepal’s belief that mediation should aim at long-term political solutions for the purpose of peaceful settlement of disputes, conflict prevention and resolution.