Diplomatic Relations:
Nepal and Spain entered into diplomatic relations on May 13, 1968. Nepal opened her embassy in Madrid on January 2018 and came into operation from May 2018. His Excellency Mr. Bharat BahadurRayamajhiserved as the first ambassador of Nepal to Spain. The Residential Embassy of Spain in Delhi is concurrently accredited to Nepal. Likewise, Spain has its Honorary Consulate in Kathmandu.
Thanks to the similarities of democratic system of governance, exchange of visits at various levels and appreciation of each other’s aspirations and sensitivities in international forums, the common position on global issues, in upholding the Principles and Purposes of the United Nations and their commitment towards global peace and harmony, the relations between Nepal and Spain have witnessed further consolidation in the years gone by.
Exchange of Visits/ Meetings:
- Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hon. Pradeep Kumar Gyawali held a telephone conversation with his counterpart, Minister for External Affairs Mrs. Arancha Gonzalez Laya on 8 July 2020.
- Gokul Prasad Baskota, the then Minister for Communication and Information Technology visited Barcelona of Spain to participate in GSMA Ministerial program in February 2019.
- Bharat Kumar Shah and Hon. Rajendra Kumar KC visited Spain in October 2018 to participate in Global Parliamentary Summit against Hunger and Malnutrition.
- Prime Minister Hon. Pushpa Kamal Dahal visited Spain to attend the High-Level Debate on ‘Trafficking of persons in Conflict’ at the invitation of his Spanish Counterpart on 20 December 2016.
- Late King Birendra and late Queen Aishwarya had paid a State Visit to Spain in 1983.
- Nuria Flores Redondo, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Education of the Regional Government of Extremadura visited Nepal in January 2020.
- The then Spanish Minister for Transport, Tourism and Communications Mr. Enrique Baron Crespo visited Nepal in October, 1983.
Development Cooperation:
Spain contributes to the EU budget for supporting Nepal, as there is no direct bilateral mechanism of cooperation. The Spanish cooperation is also channeled through the non-government sector.
Spain has made important contribution, especially through for the reconstruction of Nepal following the 2015 earthquakes.
Trade/ Investment:
The major exports to Spain include goatskin, incense sticks, leather goods, woolen carpets, handicrafts, garments, Nepalese paper and paper products. Likewise, Nepal’s imports from Spain consist of chemicals, synthetic, woolen and polyster blanket, electrical goods, kitchen equipment.
The following figures reflect Nepal’s exports to and imports from Spain in the past five years.
Value in USD
| Year | Export | Import | Balance |
| 2015 | 3,512,091 | 7,746,381 | -4,234,290 |
| 2016 | 2,995,525 | 8,052,288 | -5,056,763 |
| 2017 | 2,810,914 | 6,332,399 | -3,521,485 |
| 2018 | 2,783,156 | 8,270,005 | -5,486,849 |
| 2019 | 1,348,035 | 2,749,410 | -1,401,375 |
Source: TEPC
According to the statistics published by the Department of Industry, the cumulative amount of foreign direct investment from the Spain stands at Rs. 2,020.25 million until 15 July 2020. There are 25 projects operating with Spanish investment, generating employment for 672 people.
Culture, people to people contacts and Tourism:
A Cultural Agreement was signed between the Governments of Nepal and Spain on 19 September 1983 to promote cooperation between higher institutions of learning and education in the two countries. About 16,000 Nepali nationals are residing in Spain in different professions. Similarly, a significant number of tourists arrive in Nepal from Spain each year. The following figures show the tourist arrivals from Spain in the past few years.
| Year | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| Number | 13,110 | 6,741 | 12,255 | 15,953 | 20,210 | 19,057 |
Europe and the Americas Division
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
August 2020