Press Release
- The Rt. Hon. Mr. K.P. Sharma Oli, Prime Minister of Nepal, who is on a weeklong visit of New York for the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly, had important bilateral engagements on the sidelines today.
- The Prime Minister held a bilateral meeting with H.E. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada in the morning. During the meeting, the two Prime Ministers reviewed the important aspects of relations between the two nations and exchanged views on various multilateral issues. On the occasion, the two Prime Ministers signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a bilateral consultation mechanism with a view to further strengthening the bilateral relations. Hon. Mr. Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, Minister for Foreign Affairs; Mr. Bishnu Rimal, Chief Advisor to the Prime Minister; Mr. Shanker Das Bairagi, Foreign Secretary; and H.E. Kali Prasad Pokhrel, Ambassador of Nepal to Canada from the Nepalese side and Mr. John Hannaford, Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet; Mr. Patrick Travers, Global Affairs Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister; and H.E. Marc-André Blanchard, Permanent Representative of Canada from the Canadian side were present on the occasion.
- The Prime Minister, accompanied by his spouse Mrs. Radhika Shakya, joined a reception hosted by H.E. Mr. Donald J. Trump and Mrs. Melania Trump this evening.
- On the sidelines, Foreign Minister Hon. Gyawali attended the Nelson Mandela Peace Summit today, which was organized here to commemorate and also spread the message of global peace on the occasion of the centenary of the birth of Nelson Mandela. The Hon. Minister also attended a reception in honour of the centenary of the late Mandela hosted by H.E. Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa in the evening today.
- Also on the sideline, the Hon. Foreign Minister held a bilateral meeting with Smt. Sushma Swaraj, External Affairs Minister of India. On the occasion, the two ministers discussed various issues of Nepal-India relations and cooperation at bilateral and multilateral forums.
- In the morning today, the Hon. Minister participated in a high-level meeting on Global Call to Action on the World Drug Problem organized by the United States. The US President and the UN Secretary-General were among the speakers in the programme, which was organized to reaffirm commitment to effectively address and counter the world drug problem.
- Later in the evening today, the Hon. Foreign Minister held a bilateral meeting with Mr. Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations. During the meeting, Mr. Lacroix appreciated Nepal’s contribution in peacekeeping operations. He encouraged Nepal to increase the number of female peacekeepers as well as to train troops in French language. The Hon. Minister, while stressing on the importance of safety and security of peacekeepers, reiterated Nepal’s commitment to international peace and security through peacekeeping operations.
- Similarly, Chief Advisor Mr. Bishnu Rimal participated in a high-level meeting, “Stepping up action to end forced labour, modern slavery, and human trafficking” organized by the British Development Secretary.
New York
24 September 2018