Kathmandu: Nepal has formally communicated with the US that it will not join the State Partnership Program (SPP).
Speaking at a meeting of the House of Representatives on Friday, Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Khadka said that the government, through the diplomatic channel, on July 25 informed the US government about not joining the program.
“I would like to inform the House that a letter has been written to the American government that Nepal has decided not to take ahead the SPP. The process was delayed due to the need for internal consultation,” said Minister Khadka.
SPP is a key US security cooperation tool, facilitating cooperation across all aspects of international civil-military affairs and encouraging people-to-people ties at the state level.
The government was criticized for not communicating with the US government on rejecting SPP.
After a backlash against the government, a cabinet meeting on June 20 had decided to reject SPP. The Nepal Army had written a letter in 2015 for the agreement. The Nepal Army, in 2015, had written to the United States Embassy in Kathmandu proposing the SPP with the American government.
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