Nepal Foreign Affairs (KATHMANDU, 3 June 2019) – Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is embarking on an official visit to three different European countries from June 8.
During the visit, the Prime Minister is scheduled to visit Switzerland, United Kingdom and France. Organising a press meet at his office in Singha Durbar on Sunday, Foreign Affairs Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali said that Prime Minister Oli was embarking on the eight-day visit to the three countries of Europe with an objective of the government to strengthen bilateral relations with all nations across the world.
Minister Gyawali further informed that Prime Minister Oli would leave the country on June 8 for Switzerland to attend a special programme to be held in Geneva on the centenary of International Labour Organisation (ILO).
During his stay in Geneva from June 9 to 10, Prime Minister Oli is slated to address the special ceremony on June 10. He will also hold some bilateral meetings on sidelines in the Swiss city.
Foreign Minister Gyawali further said that Prime Minister Oli would start his UK visit officially on June 10 concluding his Swiss visit on the same day.
During his UK visit, the Prime Minister will hold a bilateral talk with his UK counterpart Theresa May on June 11.
Before the bilateral talk, Oli is scheduled to address a special ceremony hosted by the Oxford Union on June 10, concentrating his speech on Nepal’s representative democracy and its path and direction towards development and prosperity.
Besides, the Prime Minister will address the UK’s parliamentary committee and attend some programmes of Nepali Diaspora, Gyawali said.
Similarly, Prime Minister Oli will begin his official visit to France on June 12. It will be a high profile visit to France from Nepal after a long time, according to Gyawali.
During his France visit, Prime Minister Oli is due to hold bilateral talks with his French counterpart Edouard Philippe on June 12. In addition, he would participate in various programmes to be organised on the 70th anniversary of the ties between the two countries. Oli will return home on June 15.
On the Prime Minister’s recent two-day India visit that Oli concluded on Friday, attending the oath-taking ceremony of re-elected Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gyawali said that the visit would make the relations between the two neighbours stronger.
The Minister further said that the ties between the two countries had become more cordial and intimate in the recent years.
Responding to a query of journalists, Minister Gyawali said that as a chair of the SAARC, Nepal was working to set the regional organisation in motion. However, he said that Nepal alone would do nothing to the revitalisation of the SAARC and the positive efforts from all the member-states were needed for it.
Gyawali’s remarks came after Indian Prime Minister Modi invited the leadership of BIMSTEC countries in his oath-taking ceremony ignoring the member-states of the SAARC.
Furthermore, the Minister expressed his confidence that the Indian Prime Minister would accept the report of Eminent Persons’ Group on appropriate time.
According to him, the Ministry is going to convene a National Dialogue on Foreign Policy on June 29 to develop a common view of the country on its foreign policy.
The country’s political parties, foreign affairs experts and concerned organisations will take part in the dialogue to formulate a new foreign policy as per the Constitution in the changed world context, Gyawali said. On the occasion, Gyawali also informed about establishing a Brain Gain Centre, an online database.
“It will be used to solicit knowledge, skill and proficiency of Nepalis living abroad for the development and prosperity of the country,” he said.