Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, who is currently participating in the 73rd United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), held meetings with world leaders and engaged in high-level meetings on the margins of the UN gathering.

On Thursday, PM Oli held a bilateral meeting with Swiss President Alain Berset. The two leaders discussed matters of mutual interests, including Swiss cooperation in Nepal, as well as other important bilateral and multilateral concerns, Nepal’s Permanent Mission to New York said in a statement.

Oli also met with British Prime Minister Theresa May. While recalling two countries’ centuries-old friendship and excellent bilateral relations, the two prime ministers talked about the strengthening of cooperation in multiple areas including trade, investment and tourism.

During the meeting with May, PM Oli also expressed concern regarding the disparity in facilities that are provided to Gurkha soldiers serving in British Army. In the meeting, he thanked the British government for its support to development projects in Nepal. He also invited the British PM to visit Nepal.

According to the Nepal’s Permanent Mission in New York, PM Oli also held talks with Indian Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj. The two leaders discussed matters related to bilateral cooperation.

On Wednesday, PM Oli participated in the High-Level Meeting on Action for Peacekeeping (A4P) organised by the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.

Speaking on the occasion, PM Oli paid tribute to brave peacekeepers across the world, including seventy-three Nepalis who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty.

While reaffirming Nepal’s commitment to international peace and security through UN peacekeeping, Oli added that Nepal had provided troops and police personnel for UN peacekeeping missions even at the height of the national difficulty.

Earlier on Wednesday, the PM attended the opening of the General Debate of the 73rd session of the UNGA. The opening session featured statements by the UN Secretary-General Guterres and President of the General Assembly María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés.

Presidents of Brazil, Ecuador and the United States were the first three speakers to address the assembly upon its opening which was preceded by a presentation highlighting the importance of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.  

Gyawali engaged in slew of meeting

Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali also held meetings with his counterparts from several countries on the margins of the UN gathering.

During his meeting with Ekaterina Zaharieva, Deputy Prime Minister for Judicial Reform and Foreign Minister of Bulgaria, the two ministers agreed to explore avenues of cooperation in various sectors including education and IT.

Gyawali also held talks with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. The two leaders exchanged views on a range of issues including reviving SAARC.

He also met with Mark Field, British State Minister for Asia Pacific Affairs. They discussed matters related to Nepal-Britain cooperation and cooperation at the regional and international platforms.

The foreign minister also attended the ministerial meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). In his statement, Gyawali said, “the principles of the movement must inspire member states towards building a culture of peace.”

He encouraged all NAM members “to act with solidarity and unite our strength to contribute to the world of peace, while leaving no one behind.”

Similarly, Gyawali attended the ministerial meeting of the Least Developed Countries, where he raised issues like structural constraints of poverty, inequality and unemployment, diverse effects of climate change, natural disasters and internal conflicts as an impediment to the progress of LDCs. Underlining that the development path of LDCs is slow, long and vague, he called for adequate international support to complement national efforts.

Meanwhile, Nepal and Madagascar have established formal diplomatic relations. Foreign Minister Gyawali and his counterpart from Madagascar Eloi Alphonse Maxime Dovo signed a memorandum of understanding to that effect in New York on Thursday. With this, Nepal now has established diplomatic relations with 162 countries.