Kathmandu: In what could be described as the second-high level foreign ministerial meeting between Nepal and the United States, Nepal’s foreign minister NP Saud and his American counterpart Antony Blinken discussed issues ranging from deaths of Nepali students in Israel to Nepal’s importance in the Indo-Pacific region to the 76 years old ties between the two countries, according to the official readout of the bilateral meeting provided by the US embassy in Kathmandu.
The US secretary started by expressing condolences to “the 10 Nepali students who were murdered by Hamas in Israel.” “We feel their loss deeply, as we feel the loss of so many who were slaughtered by Hamas,” Blinken said. He also lauded the 76 years of diplomatic relations between Nepal and the United States and said that “Nepal is today a very valued partner in the Indo-Pacific.” “We’re working together to ensure that we have a free, open, secure, prosperous region. And in so many ways, Nepal is leading, not just in the region but globally, as a very constructive actor in international organizations–of course, with so many peacekeepers who are trying to help people move from conflict to peace around the world.”
Blinken further said that the US is working to deepen the US-Nepal ties and “strengthen it even more, particularly with more people-to-people ties, and as well, economic ties, investment.”
Foreign Minister of Nepal NP Saud thanked the US for all the support it has been providing Nepal since the diplomatic relations were established between the two countries. “The United States is a development partner of Nepal. The United States is helping us in too many sectors, especially in (inaudible) health, education – and now in the Middle East also – we are victims of terrorism,” he said, according to the readout. “I would like to thank Mr. Secretary for giving us condolence. We have lost our 10 students there, and one is kidnapped.” “I would thank Government of the United States and American people for helping Nepal in any crisis, any problems,” he said.
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