KATHMANDU- President Ramchandra Paudel’s visit to France, Italy and Germany scheduled for this Wednesday has been postponed.
President’s press advisor Kiran Pokharel informed through a press note today that the Head-of-the-State postponed the scheduled visit with the conclusion that it would not be appropriate to leave the country when a natural disaster like a devastating earthquake has occurred.
It is stated that President Paudel will visit the earthquake-hit region tomorrow to take stock of the situation of the affected people. An earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale with its epicentre in Jajarkot struck the district in Karnali province the night of November 3, causing big loss of life and property in Jajarkot and Rukum Paschim and other areas.
A meeting of the Council of Ministers had approved the President’s visit to the three European countries on November 2. Pokharel, the press advisor to the President, said the President suspended the visit reaching conclusion that it would not be suitable to leave the country in the aftermath of the natural disaster, although the visit being very important for Nepal and the Nepali people.
The President was scheduled to leave for Paris, France in connection with attending the ‘One Polar Planet Summit’ and the ‘Paris Pact for People and Planet’ conferences under the Peace Forum Programme taking place there from November 9 to11, at the invitation of French President Immanuel Macron.