Nepal has requested Canada to make arrangements for issuing visas from Kathmandu. The request was made during the third meeting of Nepal-Canada Bilateral Consultation Mechanism (BCM) held in Ottawa on Thursday. Foreign Secretary Bharat Raj Paudyal and Paul Thoppil, assistant deputy minister of Global Affairs Canada, led the respective delegations to the meeting.

In view of the growing size of Nepali diaspora in Canada and increasing people-to-people contacts between the two countries, Foreign Secretary Paudyal requested the Canadian side to consider establishing Canadian representation in Nepal and making arrangements for the issuance of visas in Kathmandu, reads a statement issued by the Embassy of Nepal.

Nepal has a residential mission in Canada, but Canada does not have an embassy or a consulate in Kathmandu. Nepal has been requesting Canadian authorities to set up either an embassy or a consulate in order to facilitate visa services. Right now the Canadian mission in New Delhi issues visas for Nepali citizens.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed a range of issues of bilateral interest including development cooperation, trade and investment, education, culture and tourism as well as environment and climate change, according to the statement. During the meeting, Paudyal shared with the Canadian side Nepal’s development priorities, graduation from the LDC category and efforts made towards meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

“He underscored the need for an enhanced level of cooperation from Canada in terms of resources and technology for Nepal’s smooth and sustainable transition from the LDC status. The Canadian side expressed its readiness to support Nepal in its development pursuits and highlighted its feminist international assistance policy,” said the statement.

Citing the contribution made by Canadian Climate Fund for the Private Sector in Asia II (CFPS II) in the financing of Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower project, the foreign secretary called for more investment and technology from Canada in Nepal’s hydropower, a vital source of clean energy, the statement added.

Views were exchanged on continuing collaboration in various multilateral forums, including the United Nations, on matters of common interest such as climate change and UN peacekeeping, said the statement.