Commander of the United States Pacific Command Admiral Harry B. Harris called on Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal at the latter’s residence in Baluwatar, Kathmandu on Tuesday.

During the meeting, he commended Nepal’s commitment to international peacekeeping and discussed the decades-long military partnership between the US and Nepal, according to a statement issued by the US Embassy in Kathmandu today.

US Ambassador to Nepal Alaina Teplitz was also present in the meeting.

The U.S army official arrived in Nepal to participate in the opening ceremony of a U.S-sponsored multinational U.N Peacekeeping exercise (Shanti Prayas) and to meet leaders of major political parties.

"Partnership play a critical role in meeting global challenges, from maintaining peace to providing humanitarian assistance after natural disasters. This kind of multinational training can deepen mutual understanding and respect and encourage further collaboration," Admiral Harry B. Harris said during the opening ceremony of the Shanti Prayas III exercise held at the Birendra Peace Operations Training Center in Panchkaal.

He is the 24th Commander of Pacific Command, the largest Geographic Combatant Command of the United States. 

Shanti Prayas is the capstone exercise of the Global Peace Operations Initiative of the U.S. Government. 

It brings together nearly 1,000 participants from over 30 nations from across the globe. 

The participants conduct a staff training exercise to improve the skills of peacekeeping mission leaders and engage in tactical level training for troops.