Foreign Minister Saud and his US counterpart hold bilateral meeting

Kathmandu, Oct 31: Minister for Foreign Affairs, N. P. Saud, engaged in a productive bilateral meeting with the US Secretary of State, Antony J. Blinken, at the Department of State in Washington, D.C. on Monday. The two leaders exchanged views on matters of common interest in bilateral relations and discussed regional and international issues of mutual concern.

During the meeting, both sides expressed their satisfaction with the current state of bilateral relations between Nepal and the USA. They reaffirmed their commitment to expanding and deepening engagements across areas of mutual interest, according to a statement from the Embassy of Nepal in Washington D.C., USA.

The Foreign Minister highlighted Nepal’s development priorities in the context of the country’s graduation from the list of least developed countries. He called for an enhanced level of support from the United States in areas such as trade and investment, market access, food security, and the IT sector. Minister Saud also requested the United States for the reauthorization and expansion of the Nepal Trade Preference Program (NTPP) and Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) facilities by adding new exportable items of interest for Nepal.

Minister Saud expressed his gratitude to the US government for its continued cooperation in Nepal’s socio-economic development, including recent US assistance through USAID and the Millennium Challenge Compact. Both sides emphasized the importance of the timely implementation of projects under the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).

Secretary Blinken appreciated Nepal’s progress in consolidating democratic governance and expressed the US government’s desire to see Nepal as a strong and prosperous democracy. He assured the Foreign Minister of continued US support for Nepal’s development endeavors.

The two sides also discussed Nepal-US cooperation in multilateral forums and other matters of common concern in regional and global affairs, including the ongoing situation in the Middle East.

Prior to the meeting, the Foreign Minister signed the guest book at the State Department.

Accompanying Minister Saud during the bilateral meeting were Ambassador Sridhar Khatri and other senior officials from the Ministry and the Embassy. Secretary Blinken was accompanied by US Ambassador to Nepal, Dean Thompson, and senior officials from the Department of State.

In the evening, Ambassador Sridhar Khatri hosted a reception at his residence in honor of the Foreign Minister. The event was attended by senior officials from various US agencies, including the White House, Department of State, USAID, and MCC, as well as members of the diplomatic corps and representatives of the Nepali American community.

Foreign Minister Saud arrived in Washington, D.C. for the bilateral visit on Monday morning.