Press Release
Foreign Secretary Mr. Bharat Raj Paudyal addressed the 5th Indian Ocean Conference held in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, today.
Speaking at the Conference which this year was themed as “Indian Ocean: Ecology, Economy, Epidemic”, Mr. Paudyal highlighted the need of an enlightened approach for economic cooperation in the region which can enhance intra-regional trade and investments.
He stressed on the need of international and regional support for the landlocked developing countries to enhance their capacity for reaping the benefits of the ocean by linking Nepal’s highlands with the Indian Ocean with seamless hardware and software of connectivity.
In view of the challenges posed by COVID-19, he underscored that a robust cooperation in vaccination would be a significant deliverable, proving the realization of a collective endeavour and sharing of technical knowhow and capacity enhancement in healthcare should be at the forefront of regional cooperation.
Expanding on the intrinsic linkages between the Himalayas and the Indian Ocean, Mr. Paudyal underlined the importance of taking on board the land-locked countries and mountainous ones in pursuing the goal for healthy oceans.
He stressed on the urgency to balance ecology to battle climate change and stated Nepal’s commitment to increase the share of clean energy and achieving net-zero carbon emission by 2045, contributing to the region’s overall ecology.
The Foreign Secretary was accompanied by H.E. Mr. Krishna Prasad Dhakal, Ambassador of Nepal to the United Arab Emirates, as well as Mr. Tirtha Raj Wagle, Joint Secretary, South Asia Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Mr. Maheshwar Mani Tripathi, Section Officer of the Ministry.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Kathmandu
5 December 2021